The Pregnancy Chronicles: The Twins
by laura-maeve
Summary: The Blacks have two beautiful babies: Will and Jules. But in this final installment in the Chronicles, another round befalls the couple, and all of the "complications" from the first two will seem like a cake walk in comparison. With this pregnancy, Nessie's worst fears are confirmed when she is told that they must leave Forks until the birth for the family's protection.
1. Chapter 1

**Woohoo! Who else is excited for this one? I am totally pumped! And I am not telling you ANYTHING about this story. No hints. So don't ask. Bahahahah!**

***Disclaimer***

**Please Enjoy!**

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**October**

**RPOV**

Halloween. Jacob and I had just celebrated our third anniversary. Our son, Will, was two years old. Jules, his sister, was a little over a year. All the kids in our families and packs were gathering around the Cullen house to get ready to go trick-or-treating on the rez and in Forks. Half of Jacob's pack and half of Walker's pack was going to follow us around. Jules was dressed up as Tigger, the costume made by my mother, Bella. Will was going out as a dinosaur, also made by my mother. Shocking. I was surprised he didn't want to go as a car. Next year he'd probably be going out as his dad in a greased up t-shirt, jeans, and boots.

I loved Halloween. Seeing all the kids together was just breathtaking. They were the next generation. And to see them all getting along was gorgeous.

My mood changed when Tricia came up to me. I'd felt her staring at me all night.

I shook my head. "Not now, Tricia. Please.

Her eyes pleaded with me. "Nessie. Please. Help me out. If you don't, I'll do it alone."

Turning away from everyone, I pulled her with me none too gently. "Tricia, this is not something that you can just jump into," I said angrily under my breath. "Or just decide out of thin air. I mean, have you even talked to Embry about this?"

She stopped and pulled her arm out of my hold. "No, I haven't. And I'm not going to. This isn't his decision."

"He's your husband. He should get a say. How do you think he'd react to someone infecting you?" The last bit was hissed out so nobody would hear it.

For a moment, she gaped at me before straightening her shoulders. "He'd understand."

I shook my head. "No, he'd go apeshit. You might be his wife, but I grew up with him. I know how he was before you and how he is now. As an outsider? I wouldn't attack you with a fly swatter. And if he found out I helped you…?" I shook my head again. "No, Tricia. Besides, who would you get to do it? Shelby won't. And Walker laid down rules for his wolves. There's no chance."

Which wasn't exactly true. I knew of at least one who would probably sympathize with her enough to infect her. Which was exactly what she wanted. Months ago, she'd come to me begging to help her find a way to stay with her husband longer since he'd accepted the fact that he would have to stop phasing to age and die with her in a normal human lifespan. I'd said no then and ever since.

Her ice blue eyes filled with tears. "What would you do if you were me? If you were human and Jacob wasn't?

Gritting my teeth, I tried really hard not to sympathize myself. "Don't, Tricia. Don't do that to me."

Reaching out, she gripped my arms under my shoulders. "You'd do the same thing, Ness. Don't even try to say you wouldn't."

"That's not the point, Tricia."

"Hey, ladies." Jacob had come to stand beside us with Jules in his arms. Fly away curls stuck out from her fitted hood. He looked between the two of us. "Everything okay?" His eyes honed in on Tricia's hands gripping my arms.

Pulling out of her grasp, I nodded and smiled. "Yeah we're good. Just a woman thing. You know how it goes." As a distraction, I looked at Jules. "Hey, cutie. You ready to go get some candy?" I tickled her neck. She scrunched up and giggled.

She reached out for me and I took her. Her arms wrapped around my neck as she squeezed me. "'Uv you, Momma."

I squeezed her back. "Love you, too, cutie."

Jacob's expression softened.

"'uv you, Daddy."

Leaning forward, he kissed her cheek. "Love you, too, baby girl."

I set her down. "Go find your brother, okay? We'll leave in a minute."

"Jue?"

Turns out we didn't have to go find him. He was already searching for her. Of course he was. Ever since the night she was born, he was all about his baby sister. Even in a green and black dinosaur costume, he was determined. Cutely determined. His black and bronze hair poked out of his costume just like Jules's.

Reaching us, he held out his hand. "Jule, 'ome wif me."

"Otay, 'ill."

She took his hand and scampered off.

"They grew so fast," Tricia whispered beside me.

So caught up in my family, I'd forgotten that she was still standing there. I turned to her and nodded. "Yeah, they have. But at least they get a normal childhood. Unlike me. I grew way too fast." I gave her a steady stare. "At least if you and Embry have kids, they'll grow normal like Leila and Henry."

Her face tightened up.

Giving her one last look, I wrapped my arm around Jacob's waist and we followed our kids back to the group milling around the front yard.

"What was all that about?" he asked, lips to my ear. I knew he'd recognized the argument for what it was.

I leaned into him. "I'll tell you later." She'd become so insistent that I was feeling the need to tell him. I figured she'd have cooled off and thought about it. I'd underestimated her determination on the subject, however. If Jacob couldn't talk her out of it, we'd be forced to talk to Embry.

"You sure?"

I nodded. "Yeah." Leaning up, I pressed my lips to his. "Let's enjoy tonight with the kidlets.

"Hmm, maybe we can get our spook on tonight. They'll be exhausted from walking around so much."

Smiling against his lips, I squeezed his waist and dipped my hand into his back pocket to grip his ass for a moment. "I was thinking the same thing."

He chuckled. "Even after two kids, we still got it."

"Well, duh. We're a young couple who are madly in love with each other."

We shared one more kiss before, surprisingly, Uncle Jasper gathered all the kids around. The adults were surrounding the kids to keep them safe and in sight. What wasn't surprising was that Will and Jules were standing in front. Brayden and Henry, permanently attached to Leila, stood with them. Uncle Jasper was dressed up as a confederate soldier. Something told me that the outfit was wasn't a reproduction but the real deal from his days in the Texas Cavalry. Aunt Alice was dressed up as a flapper girl, her dress shining and headband across her forehead. Uncle Emmett amused everybody with a plastic cape and plastic vampire fangs. With his dark hair and pale skin, he rather pulled off the traditional vampire look. Haleigh had asked Aunt Rosalie if she would dress up as a princess to match her costume. I was still very impressed with the whole Cinderella get-up. She looked as if she should actually be attending a ball in a far off country. My mother and father had gone with the Disney look by outfitting the Beauty and the Beast. One of my all-time favorites. Haleigh was thrilled. She'd dressed all in pink as Rapunzel from Tangled. Her hair wasn't blonde but it was long enough now to qualify.

"Alright," Uncle Jasper said in his thick southern accent, clapping his hands together. "Are we ready?"

The kids screamed a big "yeah".

"Alright," he said again. "Let's march out."

He took the lead down the driveway with Aunt Alice on his arm. As one, the kids all followed him, making sure not to run out in front of him. Those were the rules. We'd all gone over them so many times that even little Jules rolled her eyes when I started over.

Grinning, hand in hand, Jacob and I followed behind the crowd. Both of us kept an eye on the kids and our surroundings as we walked. Shelby, holding Piper, came to walk with us. Seth was on patrol tonight. As was Embry.

"Happy Halloween," she said to us.

Her eyes flashed amber as she smiled slightly pointed teeth at us.

Happy Halloween, indeed.

**WalkerPOV**

Something wasn't right. Of course it wasn't. It was Halloween night. Bad things happened on Halloween.

Looking down at the three shredded deer on my land, I couldn't be surprised. That didn't mean I had to like it. I also knew what had done it. Which turned my mood even darker.

"Walker, it wasn't one of us. You gave us a direct order."

Putting one hand on my hip and the other at the bridge of my nose, I said, "If we were Jacob's wolves with one of his orders, I'd agree with you. But our type of wolf can disobey a direct order. We need to question everyone." Turning to Bianca, I amended, "I need to question everyone."

She gave me a look. "You think I did this? Please. After bringing the pack here and begging for you to take over? Why would I do something like this?"

Well, hell. She had a point. "Fine. What about Angelica?"

Now her face thinned in anger. "Never! She would never do anything like this. I kill a fly and she's all over my ass."

"Okay, alright. Fine. We need to question everybody. If that pans out, then of course we'll know it's outside the pack."

"What about Jacob's pack?"

I gave her a sharp look. "Don't even go there. It's not them. This is their home. They've fought to protect it."

Bianca stepped closer to me. "This isn't Forks, Walker. Or the rez. We're outside the town."

"I'm aware of that. But it wasn't them. That I know." I met her gaze. "But I'll still tell him about it. Of course, I will. He deserves to know something is back in his territory."

Bianca walked around the deer one more time. "I don't know, Walker. It could just be mountain lions or actual wolves. If they're hungry enough, they'll come down here. The deer won't stay too far in the north and they're the prime source of protein. It's not like I haven't seen this before."

"Would a pack of wolves take down three though?"

She nodded. "If the pack is big enough, yes. It doesn't have to be werewolves. Or-,"

I turned back to her. "Or what?"

"It could be werewolves. If they're just passing through, they could have scented us, recognized that this was our land, and chose to hunt here knowing that it wouldn't be that big of a deal."

"Is that more likely?"

Again, she shrugged and tucked her short hair behind her ear. "I've seen that too. A lot. It could be a small pack of ten to twenty. These carcasses are pretty clean. Werewolves are meticulous in their eating."

Rubbing my temples, I took a deep breath. "Okay, first you try to convince me that it's just regular wolves. Now you want to tell me it's just a small traveling pack. Which one do you think it is?" My aggravation seeped into my voice.

Her eyes grew hard. "I'm just throwing ideas out. Now that I'm thinking about it, I'll stick with the traveling pack. It happens, Walker. It happened with us while we were with Edmund. They'll leave the bodies where they know a fuss won't get kicked up over it. With this amount of land, it would be easy for us to just throw the left overs in the woods to decompose. I mentioned the natural wolves so you would calm down."

Taking a deep breath through my nose and out through my mouth, I said, "Bianca, I don't need you sugarcoating shit, alright? If I'm truly going to lead this pack and know what the hell I'm doing, I need you to be honest with me. If you think that this was harmless, you need to tell me that so I don't freak out. I have a wife and a daughter to protect as well as a huge pack. Don't not be honest with me just because you think it might hurt my feelings or something. Just tell me."

She studied me for a long moment before nodding. "Alright. I'm sorry."

"Alright, so what do we do now?"

"When Brent comes back from patrols, we can get him to move the carcasses. He used to do it all the time. Until then, you have gifts to open and thank-you letters to write."

Apparently, with Children of the Moon, when a new pack leader emerged, it was common practice for neighboring packs to send gifts for the new leader and his or her mate. It was a grapevine of information apparently because just the other day, I received an antique hunting dagger from a pack in Florida. Christa had gotten a ruby the size of her thumb from the female. We were going to have it set into a necklace of some sort. And from the leader's son to Haleigh? A necklace made of alligator teeth. It was very intricate and beautiful, but too mature for her to wear at her age now with her running and playing outside. She could wear it when she was older.

So far, I'd received from three different leaders. And seeing as how packs didn't favor technology, I had to write letters of thanks to P.O. boxes instead of just picking up a phone to say "hey, thanks". Rubbing my neck, I followed her back toward the village of cabins.

Unease slithered through my gut as I looked back to the three dead deer staring at me.

**JPOV**

Nessie giggled as she slid across the hardwood of the ground floor toward the gated entrance to the stairs that led to our bedroom. I paced after her, tracking her every move. She'd been infuriating all night, sending me glances, randomly rubbing against me sensually. As soon as we'd gotten home, Will and Jules mixed their candy and we'd all sat down to watch a movie. Nothing scary although I couldn't wait until they were old enough for Hocus Pocus. Such a classic, and one of my favorites.

We'd just put them upstairs in their beds. The cribs had been packed away a while ago in favor of twin beds with bars. They were asleep long before their heads hit the pillows.

Now, my body was fired up, wanting to take my female before we bedded down for the night. When I made it to the bottom of the stairs, she was already half naked. Her jeans and underwear had been shucked off, and one of my button-downs covered her. She'd left it unbuttoned all the way down until it covered the juncture of her thighs. On her knees at the foot of the bed, she leaned toward me holding the posts of the bedframe.

When I got close enough, she tilted that lean body against mine. A year after our daughter was born, she had burned all the baby weight off. Her breasts stayed a little larger than they had been, but as a guy, I could live with that. Now, through the shirt, I cupped the heavy weights, stroking my thumb over her peaked nipples. A moan tore from her throat as her hand worked on my jeans. Once they were undone, she smoothed her hands up my stomach, pushing the shirt with it. I released her long enough to rip the shirt over my head and throw it with her jeans. Her nails left red welts on my skin as they skidded back down to my jeans. Her hair was up in a messy knot, so I dug through the curls and efficiently snapped the hair band. Those bronze curls spilled down her back in a sexy wave.

Her smile was beautiful painted with the firelight. Gently cupping her face, the heat having shrank back a little, I kissed her once, twice, before deepening it. It stayed tender and I moved closer so that there was no space between our bodies. Mine was rock hard whereas hers was soft. Her breasts were pressed to my stomach, hips down at my thighs.

When I pulled back, she was breathing hard, eyes closed, and that smile back. "Mmm, that was perfect," she whispered, licking her lips.

Sliding my hands down the column of her neck, I pressed my palms to her breastbone and smoothed outward, pushing the shirt off her shoulders. Once it was off her arms, it pooled at her waist, still covering that special place that belonged only to me. I sank to my knees in front of her. The goddess image was back. With me kneeling in front of her and her on her knees on the bed above me, painted in firelight, she looked like a sensual queen ready to be serviced.

Well, I was more than happy to pull through.

Wrapping my arms around her waist, I leaned in to flick my tongue over a nipple. Her breath punched out in a heady gasp. Now, after the kids, she was more sensitive there, every touch something sizzling. I knew, because she'd shown me the first time we'd made love after Jules was born. Sex was just different for her, the sensations heightened.

Settling in, I played my tongue and teeth over her. Her arms slid around my shoulders, urging me closer. Gripping her breast, I pulled in as much of her as I could, still flicking my tongue. Her whole body jerked in my arms before I slid her out and moved to the other breast.

Finally pulling back, her chest glistened from my mouth. Those chocolate eyes were closed and she was breathing as if she'd just run a mile in thirty seconds. While she pulled herself together, my fingers went for the rest of the buttons on the shirt. Once I pulled it away from her body, I saw, even from this angle, that she was swollen and wet. So ready for me. It wasn't until I ripped the shirt down the middle that she opened her eyes.

"Jacob?"

"Go up on your knees."

"Why?"

"I want to try something new. Please."

Nodding, she did as I asked.

"Hands on the bedposts." When she did that, I used one half of the shirt to tie one end around her wrist and the other around the wood. She had room to move, a length of fabric to grab onto. I did the same with the other. They were secure enough that she had to stay in that position and couldn't sit back on her heels the way she was.

I moved back in front of her to see that a sexual heat had joined the firelight in her eyes. This excited her. She actually liked this. A

And so did I.

Still in my jeans, I licked my lips and ran my hands over her body. Palmed her breasts, kneading them. Smoothed over her quivering stomach. Cupped her needy core. She jerked against the restraints, but they held. What followed my hands were my lips. I kissed and licked every contour of the front of her. By the time I went around back and licked my way up her spine, her whole body was shivering and convulsing.

Finally, I moved back in front of her, going back down on my knees. Just looking at her tied up and panting had my erection uncomfortably tight even in my loosened jeans. Digging through the material, I palmed myself with one long stroke. So damn sensitive.

"Spread your knees," I ordered in a guttural tone.

She did it, forcing her arms to stretch even more. I searched her face for any signs of pain, but all I found was burning pleasure. Her eyes were slits as she watched me lean forward. I kept my eyes locked with hers when my tongue darted out to her core and tasted her. She convulsed again. I growled with my lips pressed to her folds.

"Jake," she breathed.

Gripping my hard length, I went to dive in, enjoying all the slick pleasure that coated my tongue and slid down the back of my throat. She tasted like mint and honey, and I drank her down like I'd been in the desert for years. At this angle, though, I couldn't actually tongue fuck her, so I moved to press my back against the foot of the bed so that I was directly under her.

There. That was better.

The faster my tongue moved over her, the fast my hand moved over my hard, hot length. We'd never done oral this way before, and as I sat there, about to thrust my tongue inside of her, I wondered what the fuck had I been thinking? Or not thinking, as was the case.

"Jacob, please, I'm not going to last."

I thrust my tongue up inside her as deep as I could. Immediately, her inner walls latched on, spasming, and a whole lot of her pleasure coasted down my throat. There was so much of it that I couldn't keep up swallowing, and some of it seeped out of the corner of my mouth. Nessie had been working on trying not to scream since I couldn't always clap a hand over her mouth. I knew she was gritting her teeth while the mewling noises escaped her throat.

With her orgasm, my body was ready to burst. Instead, I jumped to my feet, picked up her hips and thrust inside of her while her orgasm continued to contract. Her walls clenched me tightly with each thrust, adding to that delicious pleasure. Her hands were still tied, forcing her into a swinging motion with each of my thrusts, so the leverage slammed her over my hips again and again. Still no pain. Eyes squeezed tight, she bit down on her lower lip, still whimpering in a way that told me the pleasure was all she was feeling.

I cradled her ass and continued to pound into her. The bed groaned and creaked with the force, but neither of us really cared.

"Jacob," she gasped out again. Her hands gripped down on the length of shirt before her body convulsed again.

This time when her body clamped around mine, it brought my orgasm to a roaring conclusion. As I jetted inside of her, it was very nearly violent. While my body was without control, my claws shot out. I knew I was bleeding her hips, but that just seemed to take her higher. She arched against the restraints and my hands, rubbing that sweet spot against my very lower stomach. I was locked against her, only able to ride out the waves of pleasure.

A few minutes later, both of us spent, we just stayed like that, breathing hard. Her upper body was elevated. After a while, what I'd pumped into her started to leak out. Bracing her back with an arm, I reached up and cut the binds that held her arms. Her body was nothing but liquid in my arms. Gently, I laid her down and pulled out of her. I was likewise coated in my own juices as well as hers.

I managed to stumble to the bathroom long enough to get a wet washcloth. After I cleaned myself up, which was difficult with how sensitive I was to touch, I tossed that cloth and wet another one. After I cleaned her up, I threw the cloth over with our dirty clothes and lifted her higher onto the bed. She was half asleep with the warm fuzzies as I settled her into the plushy mattress and pillows. I moved in beside her, wrapping us up with the sheet even though we were both hot and sweaty. She rolled over with a happy, relaxed smile, hands cradling her cheek. I noticed that there were red marks around her wrists.

I ran a finger around them.

She frowned, eyes still closed. "I'm fine, Jake."

"I know. Just wanted to soothe it a little."

She smiled now. "That was fun. I liked you being in complete control."

Leaning forward, I kissed her nose. "Me, too. What was it you wanted to tell me earlier?" Sinking down into the blankets, she sighed. I knew I'd lost her. "Nevermind. Tell me tomorrow."

"Mhm."

Wrapping my arms around her, I pulled her against me. The mother of my children. For some reason, it was a relief that we still made love like newlyweds, that we weren't, in fact, the boring parents.

Before I fell asleep wrapped around her, I lifted up to check the two monitors on her bedside table. Both kids were quiet and passed out cold.

Grinning at my luck, I fell into an easy sleep.

**RPOV**

"She wants to do _what_?" Jacob demanded.

I had just told him about Tricia's demands. I sympathized with her. Truly, I did. But this was a huge decision she was trying to make without talking to her mate about it. I'd learned not to keep things of this kind of importance from Jacob. Tricia was, by extension, a member of the pack, and he needed to know.

I sat down heavily in front of him, Jules in my arms with a bottle. She had yet to accept the sippy cup though I was trying. "You heard me," I said as Will made explosion noises from the living room.

Jacob leaned onto his elbows on the table. It seemed like every big conversation we had was done at the kitchen table.

"What is she thinking?"

"That she wants a lot more time with her mate. Jacob, I agree with her." His head shot up. I went on quickly. "What I mean is that I know that I would feel the same way. But, I do think this is something that she needs to talk to Embry about. Maybe even Walker and Caden."

"God, this is like your mom all over again."

"What do you mean?" I asked while Jules stood up in my lap, still sucking on the bottle. Her fingers played in the curls at the nape of my neck. She was still in her Tigger pants with the coiled tail. Some of her whiskers were still there with the make-up Aunt Rosalie had used.

He sighed. "Bella wanted to be turned no matter what anybody said to try to change her mind. Even Edward. In the end, it _is _her decision. I just don't know how that would go over with the imprint. I _do_ know that you're right. Embry will have a cow if he finds out. Besides, Walker forbade any of his wolves from infecting someone. And I highly doubt he'll make an exception for his sister. I mean, I know he's okay with what he is, but that doesn't mean he wants it for Tricia."

"And I agree. But I also see her point, Jake. And there is one wolf here who isn't officially part of Walker's pack."

He frowned at me. "Who?"

Jules reached out for him. "Daddy."

He took her and swung her into his lap. She latched an arm around his neck just as she had done with me. I saw her stretch her neck, eyes on the living room. She was watching out for Will.

Jacob looked at me while he played his fingers through his daughter's hair, absently untangling it. With her curls, it was a hassle to brush them, so we took turns finger combing them. "Who, Ness?"

"Rhett. _And _if she made the right argument, he'd sympathize with her enough to do it. Remember his story? He accepted the infection, wanted it. Although, if he did it and someone found out, Walker would send him back to Calahan and Emma depending on if he agreed or not."

He sighed again, closed his eyes, and leaned into Jules, pressing his face to her shoulder. She squeezed his neck, still watching her brother. "I'll go talk to her."

Reaching across the table, I gripped his hand. "Don't tell Embry. Not yet. Please. I don't want to cause a rift between them if we don't have to."

He squeezed my fingers in return. "Okay. I'll see what I can do." Slowly, his fingers traced over what was left of the red marks from the night before.

Our eyes met and I knew we were both remembering. A chill shot through me. What he'd done to me last night had been beyond erotic that there had multiple times of me just thinking about it that had nearly brought me to orgasm. Total domination, and I couldn't wait to do it again. I knew he couldn't either from what I'd heard from him in the shower this morning

Sighing he looked down at his watch. "If I'm going to talk to her it should be as soon as possible. Embry's at his shop right now. Maybe I should go down and have the chat with her now."

I nodded. "Of course."

His hand came up to stroke my cheek. "Thank you for telling me."

I smiled back. "If I had known how determined she was, I would have said something earlier."

Nodding, he stood up and put Jules down. "Go play with your brother, baby girl."

"Otay, Daddy."

He knelt next to her. "Can Daddy get a kiss?"

She nodded before planting one on his lips. It was wet and loud with a big, dramatic, "Muah!" Giggling she ran into the living room, the Tigger tail bouncing out from her behind amusingly.

We both chuckled as she dropped next to Will on her knees and grabbed a dinosaur. Together, they went all Godzilla on the block and Lego town he'd been working on. Jacob kissed me before he slipped into his boots and went for the door. He put on is jacket, and then grabbed the keys.

Before he could open the door, Jules jumped up and raced for him, wrapping her arms around his legs. "Daddy, go 'if you."

He gently detached her, knelt down, and said, "No, baby. Stay here with Momma."

"No!" she cried, flinging herself around his neck. "Daddy!" And proceeded to cry into the shoulder of his leather jacket.

Wrapping his arms around her, he looked at me. I held my hands up. "She's your daddy's girl. Take her if you want to. Will and I will hold down the fort."

He looked at Jules. Her face was red and splotchy as she rubbed at her eyes. "Alright, baby girl. Let's get your shoes and coat on."

Instantly, she brightened up. "Otay, Daddy."

I laughed when he shook his head and started helping her into her shoes. "Other foot, baby." "Otay, Daddy." After she stepped into them, he put the Velcro in place and reached for her coat. "Arms up. Let me hold Tigger." She handed him the stuffed animal before holding her arms up. He tucked it under his arm and put the coat on her. When she turned around, she did that universal "pick me up" gesture.

He swung her up into his arms. "Say 'bye, Momma', 'bye, Will'."

"Bye, Momma. Bye, 'ill."

I grinned. "Bye, baby. Love you."

"'uv you."

"Bye, Jue Jue. Bye, Daddy."

"See ya later, big guy. Be good and take care of Momma."

He wasn't even paying attention, rolling a car around the rug. "Otay, Daddy."

Grinning, he looked at me. "See you later. Love you."

"Love you, too. Drive safe. And good luck with Tricia."

His grin turned to a smirk. "Thanks. If she's anything like your mother, she'll be impossible."

I chuckled. "Oh go on. We'll watch cartoons or something."

On his way out the door, he hefted Jules. "Wanna go see Aunt Tricia?"

She nodded.

"Alright. Let's gee Aunt Tricia."

And then they were gone. I just sat there, breathing in the silence. Until a little hand with a dinosaur was shoved in my face. "Mommy, come play."

Playfully darting forward to grab him up, I nibbled on his neck. "Play dinosaurs or cars?"

"Bof!" he yelled, giggling.

"Both?"

He nodded. "Yeah-huh."

Carrying him under my arm, I went into the living room where Legos and blocks were scattered everywhere. "Dinosaurs and cars it is," I said as I sat down with him in my lap.

**JPOV**

"Daddy?"

I couldn't help but grin every time my kids called me that. I loved that word. "What, baby?" I asked looking into the mirror. She was holding her paci out away from her mouth.

"See An Rissa?"

"Yes, baby, we're going to see Aunt Tricia."

I turned onto the main road that would take me down to the rez. Jules was tucked into her car seat with one of her many blankets over her legs. I'd taken the truck since it was just the two of us. The heater was on full blast and pointing toward the back for her. Looking in the rear view mirror, I watched her bat her hair away from her face as she stuck her paci back in, looking out the window. God, she was gorgeous, just like Nessie. And she really was her daddy's little girl. If she was awake when I left for work, she screamed when she couldn't go with me. On days I was at home on the computer, she'd sit on my lap and go back to sleep or brush her doll's hair or play a game on my phone. We'd found the Disney version of that crush game, the Frozen version. She loved that thing. When I wasn't at home, Nessie would calm her down by putting that movie on repeat. She loved her Elsa/Anna. Nessie had seen it so many times that I'd caught her humming the songs. Even Will would sing along. And every now and then, I'd catch myself humming the snowman song. But honestly? I totally didn't mind sitting there, hours and hours, watching it with her.

"Daddy?"

Chuckling, I said again, "What, baby?"

"'ill?" She said it in such a way that I knew she was asking where he was.

I looked in the mirror. "He's at home with Mommy."

"Oh. Otay."

It wasn't long before we pulled down the drive to Embry's house. It was a secluded cottage that they were slowly repairing. It looked good with the porch freshly uncluttered and swept. Once I was parked at the front door, Jules had unbuckled herself, having learned from Will, and climbed over the console to stand in my lap and hold onto my shoulders.

"Ready?"

"Yeah-huh."

"Got Tigger?" She nodded. "Got your binki?" She nodded again, taking it out of her mouth to shove it in my face. I opened the door and tucked her to me. "Alright. Let's go see Aunt Tricia."

Tricia must have already heard us pull up because before I could knock, the door opened.

"An Rissa!" Jules struggled to be put down, so I set her on her fee. She ran, slowed at the stairs, and then ran again.

Tricia grinned and caught her, swinging her up. "Hey, peanut. Did you have fun last night?"

Jules was grinning. "Yeah-huh."

"Good. That's good." She looked at me over my daughter's shoulder.

When I returned it, I made sure to put into my stare that I wasn't here for a social call.

Nodding, she visibly pulled herself back together and smiled at Jules. "You wanna watch a movie? Your daddy and I need to have grown up talk."

"Otay!"

Tricia set her down so she could run into the house. I went to stand beside her. "Nessie told you?"

"She did. Of course, I could have guessed something was up from the way you were grabbing her last night."

"Do we have to do this?"

When she turned to me, I nodded. "You know we do. I promised Ness I wouldn't tell Embry. Not until after I talked to you."

She motioned inside where Jules disappeared. "So you brought your kid?"

I let out a laugh. "That was unintentional, and a breakdown that nobody needed. I figured you'd like to see her."

As if she were chilly, she tucked her hands into her pockets. "Yeah. She's getting big. Old for her age, you know?"

"Yeah. Carlisle suspects they're both about a year more advanced than their actual ages."

"That's good, I guess. Out of the newborn stage faster."

Nodding, I knew she was dragging out the polite chit chat. "Definitely. That was the one that scared me the most. Now, they're not so fragile."

We were quiet for a while. From where we stood, we could see Jules had climbed onto the couch and was having a conversation with Tigger. Probably about their tails since she was tugging on hers pointedly and then tugging the toy's.

Out of some anxious emotion, Tricia huffed out a breath. "Shall we?"

"Sure."

Tricia had Jules pick out a movie and turned it on. I bent over the back of the couch and kissed my daughter's hair. "Be good and watch your movie, okay? We'll go back home in a little while."

"Otay, Daddy." She turned and kiss my cheek. I kissed hers. And then she was totally transfixed.

Tricia nodded for the kitchen. From the table, I'd be able to keep an eye on Jules. Slipping out of my jacket and hanging it on the chair, I sat down. Tricia moved toward the coffee maker.

"Coffee?"

"Uh, no. Thanks, though." When the music of the movie started up, I turned to her and said, "Why, Tricia? Why do you want to do this to yourself?"

Sighing, she braced her arms on the counter and hung her head. "I just need more time with him. And any kids we have. No doubt they'll phase. Especially with more vampires roaming the area, visiting the Cullens. I know Benjamin's been around a few times."

"Tricia, you're –what, nineteen? Twenty? And Embry has been frozen since he was seventeen. We all have. You have plenty of time. Not to mention that Embry seems fine with aging beside you. It's not like he's angry with you over it."

"And he'll be okay with this decision. I don't see why he wouldn't be. Would you, if it was Nessie?"

I glared at her. "Do not try to justify this by using my mate. Even though she sympathizes with you. This is a life changing decision. One that I've come across before." The moment I said it, I immediately wanted to take it back.

Tricia perked up, her blue eyes nearly burning me with their intensity. "What do you mean?"

Like every other woman of the pack, I knew she wouldn't let it go until I answered her. Sighing, I turned back to the table when she sat down with a hot mug. "Bella. Nessie's mom. I knew her back when she was human. If she were still human, we'd be about the same age. She wanted forever with Edward and would risk the venom killing her to get it. Edward, of course, did not want her to become like him because he thought himself soulless and a monster. He didn't want her to be a newborn and kill humans from her thirst. But then she got pregnant with Nessie. Complications came up and Edward was forced to inject her with venom. She died on the table before he injected her and we didn't know if it would work." I looked up at her with stern eyes. "Tricia, I have two points to make. One, Edward _knew_ about her decision even though he didn't like it. Two, what makes you think you could survive the infection? It isn't a sure thing, from what Caden's told me. The infection has killed as much as it's changed."

For a moment, she just stared into her mug as if all the answers were in the cream and sugar. "But…Walker and Shelby made it through."

"That's true. And it could be true that you make it through. However, Tricia, you cannot keep this from Embry. If you want my support in this, I have one condition."

Those electric eyes snapped up to mine. "What?" she demanded. "What is it?"

I leaned onto my elbows and gave her the most direct eye contact that I could manage. "You will talk to both Embry and Walker."

She snapped back in her seat like I had smacked her. "That's two conditions," she whispered shakily.

"One, and you know it. Don't split hairs."

She just kept on staring at me. "Why would you support me?"

Taking a deep breath, I threw myself out there. "Look, just because I didn't answer your earlier question about Ness doesn't mean I don't get where you're coming from. As an imprinted male, I want to protect her from everything, including death. If she were human, then I'd have to say that yes, I'd want her with me. Also, again, I do agree with my wife. It's your life. _But _you are married. Even if he weren't imprinted and a werewolf, I would tell you to talk to him. That's not fair to him. Hell, maybe he'll shock me to death by agreeing. I don't know, especially not with him when it comes to you. But if you talk to him, and he comes after me for agreeing, I will support your decision. I made the mistake of shutting Bella out when she told me about hers. We lost precious time. And –I probably shouldn't say this, but – I think you would have a good chance at surviving with Embry close to you. I totally believe that's how Shelby survived. Walker, though? Just too much of an ass to stay down."

Tricia choked out a laugh around her mug. "That's true."

My expression softened. "If you really want this, and support from me and Ness, then talk to them. Please."

Her eyes dropped to the table. "I thought you would try to talk me out of it."

That brought a laugh out of me. "I know better than that. I just needed to see if you had the same determination that I saw in Bella. And I do. I see that conviction. Tricia, you are a part of this family. This choice will not only affect you and Embry. By extension, it will affect all of us. Not to mention, you need to consider your parents."

At that, anger turned her icy eyes to electricity. "They're the ones who threw us out. I don't see why I should consider them. Mom has had her chances to come see me. It's been months. _They _disowned _us_. And though it hurts, Walker and I have our own families, families that accept us."

Reaching across the table, I gripped her hand. "Yes, we do. And we don't want to see you get hurt or you and Embry fall apart from a bad decision. Please. I'm talking from experience here."

Knowing I'd made my argument the best I could, I got up and made my own cup of coffee. Sitting back down, I watched as Jules sang along, as best she could, with a Disney movie. Every now and then, Tigger would make an appearance over her head as she danced him on her lap. As much as I wanted to see her grow up, I'd miss this. It was doubtful that she'd keep calling me "daddy". It would end up as "dad", probably with an attitude and an eye roll. I could see it now. I could also see Will growing up to be all "whaddup, pop". We'd be nipping that one in the bud fairly quickly. "Pop" had been my grandfather, what I remembered of him.

"Okay."

My mug was almost to my lips when she said it. Lowering it, I looked over at her.

She nodded, her hair falling over her shoulders as she looked down into her mug. "I'll talk to them. I promise."

Setting the mug down, I dipped down to grab her eyes with mine. "Don't make promises to me that you won't keep, Tricia. You lie to me, I will have Embry on the phone in a heartbeat. And I will take back all my support. That's how serious I am. Now look at me and tell me that, one, you understand that, and two, that you'll talk to them."

Major brownie points in her favor when she straightened her shoulders, looked me straight in the eye and said, "I understand your conditions. And I promise you that I will talk to both Embry and Walker about my choice to become infected."

Nostrils flared, I scented the air. Nothing but truth vibes. "Good. Then we have an agreement."

It was as I was sitting back in the chair that a wave of uneasiness slammed into me, hitting me hard in the chest. For a moment, breathing was difficult. Sitting back in the chair, I rubbed the spot over my heart.

"Jacob? Are you okay?"

I shook my head not looking at her. "No. I need to get home."

Getting up, I dumped the coffee and went for my kid. "Jules, baby, we need to go home."

"No," she whined.

"Jules," my tone was the sharpest I'd ever used on her.

It grabbed her attention and she looked up at me.

I held my arms out and softened my tone a little. "We need to go home. See Mommy and Will."

Tricia followed me. "What happened?"

I shook my head as Jules stood up and held her arms up. "I don't know," I said, swinging her into my arms. "I just…I need to go. Remember your promise."

Before she could say anything, I was out the door and buckling Jules into her car seat. That uneasiness hit me again when I started the truck and booked it out of the drive. Going as fast as I could while still being careful, I raced home, knowing that something wasn't right. Jules must have sensed my mood because she stayed quiet, holding onto her Tigger and staring out the window.

In less than twenty minutes, I skidded onto the dirt in front of our cabin. Jules unbuckled herself quickly and jumped into my arms. Digging out the key to the house, I practically broke the locks as I burst through the door at the same time that I unlocked it.

Immediately, I knew something was wrong. Will was crying real tears, scared tears. When Nessie didn't come running, I looked around the floor, knowing she would have played with him after I left with Jules. I was so frantic that I had to stop, close my eyes, and force myself to calm down. Opening them again after a few deep breaths, I looked back at Will.

And the soul of Nessie's shoe beside him. She never took her shoes off and left them in the middle of the floor. She always put them under the coffee table neatly.

Oh, God.

I set Jules on the floor quickly. "Jules, stay right here, okay? Don't move. Stay here." When she didn't answer, I cupped her face. "Do you understand? Stay. Here."

"O-otay."

In a heartbeat, I was across the room. Will was still wailing, but calmed when I approached. Nessie was laid out on the floor on her side, arm flung out as if she'd collapsed there. My heart dropped like a stone and fear threatened to choke me.

"Jesus! Nessie!" Going to my knees, I pulled her into my lap. Bending over her, I could hear and feel that she was still breathing. Picking up her wrist, I felt for her pulse. "Come on," I said just before I managed to find it. It was there. Weak but there.

My heart was going a mile a minute. It was boiling hot in here. Or was that me? Touching a hand to her forehead, I felt that the heat was coming from her. She was burning up. And now that I looked, sweat slid down her temples and hairline.

Forgetting the truck, I called Edward. When the line clicked, I didn't even let him get out a greeting. "Get up here! Right now! It's Nessie," I yelled.

Now, both kids were screaming. Edward burst into the house, narrowly missing Jules. Of course, he'd known she was there by her thoughts. Otherwise he'd have been more careful without knowing where the kids were. He was over to me in the blink of an eye.

Gently, he took his daughter from my arms. "I'll get her to Carlisle." And then he was gone.

Rosalie and Emmett were standing in the doorway. Reaching over, I picked up my screaming son and held him to my chest. God, how long had she been out? What the hell happened?

"Shhh, it's okay, buddy. It's okay. I'm right here. Daddy's here."

He started to calm down after a minute or two. Jules slowly moved toward me until I motioned her over. Then she ran into my open arm.

Rosalie came forward. "Can you…would you like us to-?"

I shook my head. "No. They won't go to anybody else right now." Which was totally true. Both of them were gripping me as if someone were already trying to take them away.

Getting to my feet, I hurried out of the house and down the hill with both of them shadowing me just in case I lost my footing. I didn't. And when I got to the house, Will and Jules were a runny-nosed mess. It took some coaxing to get Will to let go of me. After having seen his mother pass out, that wasn't surprising. But Bella managed to get him off me with the promise of some blood. He went but not happily. Rosalie took Jules before I raced up the stairs.

Nessie was in the bed with tubes and wires already attached to her. Though she was burning up, her skin was pale. I rushed to her side and took her hand.

"Talk to me, doc. Right now. You better talk."

Because I knew Carlisle was in or around the room.

"I don't know, Jacob."

He appeared across the bed in a moment, standing next to the machines.

"What do you mean, you don't know?" I demanded.

He looked at the machines beeping beside him. "Her vitals are good. She's breathing on her own. But her fever is ridiculously high. And she's incredibly dehydrated. It's almost like she's suffered the flu for a week."

I shook my head, looking down at her. With my free hand, I stroked her forehead and hair. "But that's not right. She was fine when I left. No symptoms at all. And all she drinks is water or blood. More the first than the second. We still hunt so she gets enough." Shaking my head, I looked at him. "Okay, so where do we go from here?"

He looked down at his granddaughter. "The only thing we can do is keep fluids in her and try to get her fever down with cold compresses and medicines. How long was it that you found her before you called Edward?"

"I was down talking to Tricia when I got this bad feeling. I packed up Jules and came straight home. When I came through the door, Will was screaming and Nessie was collapsed. As soon as I checked her breathing and pulse, I called Edward."

"No symptoms at all?"

I shook my head again. "No. Nothing. No temperature. No coughing. No throwing up. No pain. Nothing."

He held up her wrist that was on his side, pointing at the red mark. "And are these new?"

Looking back down at her, I shook my head. "No. We were…intimate…last night."

He nodded. "And she was fine then?" There was no judgment in his tone. Just a medical question about his patient.

But I glared up at him anyway. "No, doc. Seriously, if I'd noticed anything, I would tell you. This is my wife and the mother of my kids we're talking about here."

He held up his hands in a surrender gesture, but his face thinned out in aggression to match my own. "And this is my granddaughter. I'm just making sure. Right now, you're worried, anxious, and angry. It's common to forget something until a question is posed."

Gritting my teeth, I looked down again. This time, I saw her eyes move under her lids. "Ness?"

Her hand gripped mine.

"Doc?"

"I see. She's not in a coma. Just unconscious. The fever probably took her over with its swift appearance. Hopefully the fever will die down and she'll wake up soon. I'll take some blood to study since she's stable."

I nodded.

He did his thing. When he left, I sank down into the chair beside the bed and hung my head. "Jesus, Nessie. You gave me a heart attack. Scared Will to death." I wiped my palm over my face and then took her hand again, waiting for her to squeeze it. Stroking her hair again, I tried to choke back all the fear. "God, please, Nessie. You have to wake up. I don't care what Carlisle says. I won't rest easy until I see your eyes staring back at me. Please."

With my hands still on her, I hung my head and prayed that there was nothing to find in that blood sample.

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**Sooooo, I was terrified at the end of this chapter. Even though I know what's going on. I didn't know the end of this chapter was going to end up this way. If that makes any sense. Anywhozzle! Let me know? Yes? No? Maybe? Anyway, LOVE YOU GUYS! xoxoxoxox**


	2. Chapter 2

**Um wow, sooo, this chapter was not what I was expecting it to be. Usually, I know ahead of time, but I think with this story, my character are hiding and revealing as they see fit. Because boy did this chapter fly off the deep end with where I thought it was going. No lemons, but PLENTY of drama. Geez.**

***Disclaimer***

**Please Enjoy!**

* * *

**RPOV**

Floating up out of the darkness, I was aware of two things.

One, my back was freaking hot.

Two, my front was freezing.

Shivering, something tightened around me.

"I got you, Ness. Doc? She's covered." Jacob.

Too tired to open my eyes or stay conscious long, I tried to figure out where I was before I went back under.

A hand landed on my head. "Well, it seems her temperature is going down." Then a hand reached out to grip mine. But there was something odd about the feeling. And a tinkling noise sounded as my arm was lifted. I knew the sound. "Her pulse is slowing." And then my arm was put back into the icy cold…water. I was in water. A bath. "Keep her in for another few minutes. I'll send Bella up to help you get her back to the bed."

"Thanks. Hey, can you get Mara to be waiting for us?"

"Of course."

The water sloshed as Jacob moved us. He tightened his hold on me again before something was peeled from the front of my body. "It's okay, baby. I got you," he whispered.

With that promise, I sank back down into the darkness.

**JPOV**

We finally got Nessie back into the bed. In the tub, I knew she'd come to for just a moment before slipping back down. She was coming back to me. While the two women situated her, I stood there with a towel around my waist. The cold water barely affected me, especially with Nessie pressed against me.

Once Nessie was situated, Bella stepped back to let Mara run her hands above my wife's body. After a few swipes, Mara frowned.

"What is it?" I demanded.

She shook her head, her white and purple hair brushing over her shoulders. "There is no illness that I can find." She put her hands back over Nessie's stomach. "Though there is something here."

"What?"

"I don't know. It seems faint for now. Something tells me it won't remain that way. I need to speak with Carlisle."

And then she was gone before I could stop to ask her anything. She'd found something and knew something she wasn't telling me. Bella came up to me, putting her hand on my arm.

"We'll figure this out. Do you want Will and Jules brought up after you get dressed? They've been fed. It's naptime. I figured you'd like to sleep a little. Edward and I will watch over her."

Letting out a shaky breath, I turned to her. "Bells-,"

Her expectant stare turned to sympathy. She wrapped her arms around me even though I was only in a towel. I hugged her back hard.

"I know, Jacob. You're scared. So am I. But Nessie is Edward's daughter. And your wife. She has two babies. She'll be fine and come back to us."

"I can't lose her," I said, my voice cracking. "I just can't."

"I know." Her hands smoothed up my back in a motherly gesture. "I'll bring the kids up. Maybe their presence will help. Get dressed. I'll be back in a moment."

I nodded and she left. Going to the closet, I pulled down a pair of sweats, dried off, and stepped into them. As promised, a moment later, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

The door opened and my kids burst into the room. "Daddy!"

Choking back the emotion, I knelt down and let them run into my arms. I hugged them hard as they clung to me. Will was the one shaking the most. Jules was just seeking comfort. Picking them up, I went to the recliner.

"Thanks, Bells."

She smiled and shut the door behind her.

"Mommy!" Will yelled as Nessie came into view.

"Shh, Mommy's sleeping. We gotta be quiet."

"Otay."

I settled back into the chair with both of them. When I pulled out the recliner, they both settled back on top of me and curled up on my chest and shoulders. I'd purposely left off a shirt so that my warmth would comfort them. They were the children of a werewolf, and wolves liked skin on skin contact for comfort.

Across my chest, Jules reached out to take her brother's trembling hand. Tearing up, I kept praying that Nessie would surface again. If not for me, then for her children. Stroking my daughter's hair and my son's back, I fell into a very uneasy sleep.

Sometime later, I woke up to the sound of voices.

"I don't know exactly what I felt. I just know that something is off."

"Well, that's what this ultrasound is for."

"Is Jacob okay with this?"

A machine starting up sounded. It was familiar.

"Jacob will do anything it takes to help her. He'd agree with anything I suggest."

Carlisle and Mara.

Jules and Will were still passed out on my chest. With a sigh, the recliner eased up. After I stood up, I gently settled the two babies down on the set of the recliner, their legs stretching out over the footrest. I pulled a blanket over them and kissed their cheeks.

"I don't believe it," Carlisle whispered.

I turned around to find that he had the ultrasound machine out, the wand moving over Nessie's abdomen. Mara's hands were hovering over the wand.

"What is it you don't believe, doc?"

Carlisle turned from the screen to me where I was standing next to the bed holding Nessie's hand. She looked much better. Her skin had a healthy flush, and it was no longer burning.

"Jacob, when was her last period?"

Not the question I'd been expecting. But at least I knew the answer. "A week or so ago."

"Do you know if it was normal?"

I frowned. "You mean, was she down for the count like she usually is?"

He nodded.

"Yeah. Usually she has one day where she can't really do anything. I remember that one because it was a day that I didn't have to go into the shop."

"Do you know if she's missed a period?" He studying me with sharp eyes.

With this weird subject, I tried to think back over the past few months. "No, not that I can think of. I'd need her phone. She keeps up with it. Ever since we started being intimate."

"I believe Shelby has it. I'll go retrieve it," Mara said.

"Thanks." I turned to Carlisle. "Are you asking me this because you think she's pregnant?"

He looked back at the screen. "Jacob, I don't think she is. I know she is. Her blood test confirmed it, though it didn't present straightforward as pregnancy. Now that I'm seeing the ultrasound, I know that's what the test was showing."

I looked down at Nessie's face and moved down her body, stopping where the wand was. "Is it possible that she didn't miss her period being pregnant?"

Slowly, in jerky movements, he shook his head. "Not this time."

"What do you mean?"

The door opened again and Mara strode in, holding out Nessie's cell phone. I swallowed hard at her background picture. It was one of the four us playing in the leaves outside. Quickly, I moved to her calendar and sifted through the months. Month after month, I saw the letter "P" to indicate her period. And then I showed Carlisle.

"She hasn't missed. Now tell me why you're not that composed."

Reaching out, he pointed at the screen on the machine. "You see this?"

I nodded.

His finger moved across the screen to another dot. "And this?"

I nodded again, frowning. "One baby?"

He shook his head. "Two. Twins, Jacob. She definitely should have missed a period."

_Twins_? That gene had to have come from me with Rachel and Rebecca as my sisters. I knew that twins ran in families. "Okay, she didn't. Why do you look so rattled?"

"Because she didn't miss. Was two nights ago the first time you were intimate after her most current cycle?"

I nodded. Mara had moved back around to put her hands over Nessie. "Yeah."

"Jacob, by what I'm seeing here, she's at least six weeks pregnant. Twins don't show up until four to six."

Finally, what he was saying clicked. "Wait. You're telling me that we conceived two nights ago and she's four to six weeks along?"

"Yes. That is what I'm telling you. I'd wager to bet that she'll miss November's cycle."

"That's not possible, doc."

His look was thoughtful. "It may not be logical to us since we are aware of what a normal pregnancy should be. But in Nessie's case…Will was normal except for the blood. Jules, however, was not. She developed quickly in the womb."

"But this fast?"

"Jacob, I've said this before. Anything with Nessie and you is possible."

Shaking my head, I tried to clear it and stay focused. "Okay. Let's say she's pregnant again. With twins. How does this tie in with the way she is right now?"

"Do you remember that I said it seemed as if she had the flu?"

"Yeah."

"Many women, when they become pregnant, get the flu. Something to do with their immune systems. With the quick development of the babies, her body tried to defend itself, but instead gained flu-like symptoms when it decided not to fight off the babies."

I looked down at her. "So this is her equivalent of a human woman getting pregnant?"

"Yes. I believe that once her body reconciles with itself and what's growing inside her, she'll wake up. She's already come to consciousness a couple of times."

Before my knees gave out, Mara must have sensed it. She pulled over a chair just before I collapsed in shock. Twins. Staring at Nessie, wishing I could be put in her place instead, I said, "So what does this mean for us? I mean, do you think this is going to be Bella's pregnancy all over again?"

This time around, Carlisle wasn't giving out reassurances. And that terrified me to a point that my blood ran cold.

He looked solemnly down at Nessie after putting up the equipment. "I wish I could give you a better diagnosis, Jacob. Really, I do. But she is, indeed, pregnant again. In two nights, they've developed to four to six _weeks_. If it's this fast now?"

"But Jules slowed down."

"That's true and that's what we should hope for with these two. But I can't assure you that that's what will happen. Something is telling me that it won't." He came around the bed and placed a hand on my shoulder. "As her grandfather and doctor, I'm telling you to be prepared. Neither of her pregnancies have been the same. There's no telling what this one has in store." He looked to Mara. "We'll let you have some time."

"Thanks."

As soon as they were gone, I turned not to Nessie, but to Will and Jules still asleep on the recliner. Man, twins. Two more babies. How would the two of them react to the new additions? Four children. I was going to be a dad four times over. Definitely a full house. And I was totally glad for the new SUV. I looked back to Nessie. How fast would the babies grow? Would she be able to handle it, or would her body continually knock her out to protect her?

There was a knock on the door.

"Yeah?"

Shelby came in a moment later. She gave me a soft smile, glancing at Jules and Will asleep. Coming over to me, she rubbed my shoulders. "How ya doin'?"

"Pregnant," I answered.

Her gasp was quiet but spoke volumes. She knelt by me, her eyes earnest and worried. "Is that what Carlisle said?"

I nodded. "Twins. I saw them myself."

She looked up at her best friend lying so still on the bed. "Twins?" she whispered. "And that's why she passed out?"

"He thinks that we conceived two nights ago and that she's about four weeks along. With that quick development, symptoms of the flu hit her hard and fast. The fever made her pass out." I met her eyes. "She never missed a period, Shelbs. Not according to her phone. And I know she didn't miss October."

She nodded. "Yeah, I know. We women talk." Sitting down hard on the floor, she swallowed hard. "God, twins?"

It seems all I was doing was nodding. "I can't say I'm surprised now that I think about it. My sisters are twins. And from biology, I remember the teacher saying that the gene runs in families. It should skip a generation and since my mom had it, neither I nor my sisters should have it."

"You mean it shouldn't be active. To pass it on, you have to carry it. Nessie doesn't have a history of twins anywhere?"

This time I could actually change it up and shake my head. "Nope."

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her glance over at Jules and Will. "I wonder how they'll take to new brothers or sisters."

"Me, too. I think they'll be okay, as long as we can divvy up our time." Getting up, I walked over to the ultrasound machine. There was a printed picture of what I had seen on the screen. Sitting back down with it, I stared at the two spots that were my kids.

Shelby got to her knees to look at it with me.

"So where's Seth?"

She had to swallow through her own emotion. "Uh, he took Brayden and Piper to see his mom and Charlie. He promised to tell them about Ness. They'll probably be over later."

I stroked the picture. "Good deal."

"Have you eaten anything since yesterday?"

"No, and I'm not hungry. But thanks."

She stood up, and put her hand on my shoulder. Her expression was motherly. "Listen, it won't do your kids any good to see their father pass out from low blood sugar. You need to choke something down. I'll just make you a sandwich, okay?"

After a moment, I conceded. "Okay. Yeah. Thanks."

The moment the door closed, I was so grateful for Shelby that I really didn't know how to express it. Though she was still pushy, it was in such a way that I knew she was doing it to protect us from ourselves instead of looking like a bitch.

She came back about ten minutes later and stayed to watch me eat. When I was done, she left, saying that she'd send out a pack-wide text if I needed her to do so. I'd told her that would be great because I was still in shock and couldn't quite process the whole twin thing yet.

Now, a half hour later, after sitting in the near dark with nothing but the soft breathing of my family for noise, I jumped when, across the room, on the counter, my phone started ringing. I darted out of the chair and fumbled for it.

"Hello?" I whispered.

"Jacob?"

"Cricket?"

There was silence before the girl broke out sobbing. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry. I should have been watching her more."

Sitting back down after checking on my kids, I said, "Slow down. What are you talking about?"

"Nessie. I should have been watching her. I just now got the message. How is she?"

Leaning back, I popped my neck on both sides. "Still out, but better. The fever went down."

"Good." She seemed to be getting a hold of herself, breathing deeply.

"Cricket, this isn't your fault. You can't watch us twenty-four/seven."

There was silence. "But that's why you kept me around, because I'm useful."

"Cricket, listen to me. We don't let people stay around because they're useful. You're a friend. And I wasn't expecting you to watch us now that you can select your visions. All of that was totally up to you. We – I – appreciate what you did for Nessie a few years ago. You saved her life. But you watching for us is not your job."

Even over the phone, I could hear her collect her smart wit and sarcasm. "Fine, Kujo. But at least let me tell you what I see now."

"Go for it."

"I know Mara has some prophetic ability, but mine is further-reaching. So, I can tell you that Nessie and the babies will make it through. The pregnancy will be rough and tough, and definitely fast. Faster than Jules."

"How fast is fast, Cricket?"

"February, I think," she said softly.

I sat back heavily in the chair, rubbing my palm over my mouth in disbelief. "Three months? She'll give birth in _three months_?"

"Yes, or close to. And there's something else."

Now I was gripping the phone so hard it was creaking. "What?"

"You need to leave Forks. With twins, she'll be craving too much blood."

For a moment, I stopped breathing. Leave Forks? "Where are we supposed to go?"

There was shifting on the other end. "Well, if my inner eye serves me right, you should talk to your uncle-in-law. Emmett."

"Emmett?"

"Yes. I don't know why. But he's the link between you and somewhere tropical-like. And Jacob? You need to move as fast as possible before she can't be cleared to fly or travel. These babies will start growing very fast. Especially when blood gets into her system. Now, I need to get off this phone. She's about to wake up. Call me when you can."

The line went dead a moment later.

A sound brought my attention to the bed. "Nessie!" Shooting up, I took her hand as her eyes opened. She was elevated so that we were eye level with me bending over her. I stroked her hair back. "Hey, baby."

Her smile was weak but relief flooded me anyway. She was really here this time. "Hey," she said in a voice even weaker than her smile. And then she frowned, swallowing hard. "What happened?"

I just kept stroking her hair and fought tears. "You passed out while I was down at the rez talking to Tricia. Sudden onset of the flu apparently." I really didn't want to tell her right now that she was pregnant and with twins, at that. "A high fever just hit you hard."

"Will?"

"He's okay, I guess. Still shaky, but okay. He never left your side."

That made her smile again. "Such a momma's boy."

"Yeah. They're both passed out in the recliner over here."

The smile warmed to that of a mother thinking about her children. But then she frowned again. "What caused the flu?"

Damn. I closed my eyes. "We can talk about that later, okay? When you're feeling better."

She was really starting to wake up. Pushing herself up on the bed more, she made it clear that she was sitting up on her own and gave me a look. "Jacob, I deserve to know. It's my body."

Knowing I wouldn't win, I went for bargaining. "Let Carlisle look you over first. And then I'll tell you. Please."

Her eyes softened and her hand tightened around mine. "Alright. I suppose I can live with that."

I kissed her forehead before going to the door. Poking my head into the hallway, I said, "Doc, I know you heard that."

He was there two seconds later forcing me to jerk back "Sorry," he said. "I just want to see her awake."

Moving aside, I let him in. "Just be quiet, please. The kids are still out."

"Of course." We shared a look that was "don't tell her, I want to" and "alright", before he went to the bedside. He smiled down at her. "Hey, sweetie."

Her smile was tired but stronger. "Hey, grampa."

"I'm just going to take your vitals. Make sure everything's working right."

Nodding, she let him go to work, but kept her eyes on me. I gave the bed some space so he could move around. He checked her temperature, breathing, pulse, and blood pressure.

"It seems that everything is back to normal. The fever is gone. Hopefully for good. No concussions that I can detect from falling either."

I shook his hand on his way out. "Thanks, doc."

He smiled and nodded before leaving.

"Talk, Jacob. I saw that look, the one that means you're keeping something from me."

Geez. She knew me too well. Sighing, I went over to sit back down in the chair, thinking over what all Cricket and Carlisle both had said, and picked up the ultrasound picture that had fallen on the floor at some point.

"What is that?"

Silently, I handed it to her.

Taking it, she tilted it toward the light filtering through the curtains. "I don't understand. What is this? A tumor or something?"

When she looked at me, I took a deep breath. "No, sweetie. Each of those dots…is a baby."

Her eyes darted back to the picture. Back to me. Then to the picture. Her free hand touched her lower belly.

"Twins?" she whispered.

I nodded. "Twins."

I was waiting for her to make the connection between being pregnant again and not having missed her period. I could just see the mental wheels turning as she struggled to process what she was hearing and seeing and feeling.

"But…but…" she stuttered. "I just had my period. Two weeks ago. I mean, it's too early for any symptoms let alone an ultrasound." She turned back to me, and I knew my expression wasn't hidden well. "Jacob, what is going on?"

Moving to the edge of the seat, I lifted a hand to stroke her cheek. "Sweetie, Carlisle says that you seem to be four to six weeks along. And with twins, you should have definitely missed a period. So, with that, he believes we conceived them two nights ago, the first time we were intimate after your recent cycle."

Eyes filling with tears, she looked back at the photo in the exact same way she had with Will and Jules. That motherly love already there. Only this time, I couldn't bring myself to feel as lovey-dovey considering how bad she'd already scared me carrying them.

"Is this even possible?" she whispered.

"Yes. I mean, think about how fast Jules grew. This is totally possible because we aren't human." Moving my hand to her chin, I turned her head so that she was forced to look at me. "There's more."

"Tell me."

"Just before you woke up, Cricket called me."

"And? Just spill, Jake. I don't feel up to pulling teeth."

I grinned for a second before it died down. "She said that you and the babies were going to make it out on the other end okay. But she also said that this pregnancy was going to be rough…and fast."

"How fast?" she asked, zeroing in on the most important part immediately.

"About three months."

She gasped, hand going to her stomach again.

"Nessie, we have to leave Forks."

Her eyes were sharp when they landed on me again. "What?"

"Cricket said we have to leave Forks. And that we do soon. Your blood intake is going to skyrocket. We can't stay here, and we have to move before it's too late for you to travel."

Now she looked practically frantic. "Well, where are we supposed to go?"

"She said that Emmett would know. Whatever that means."

"Uncle Emmett," she practically yelled.

"Baby, please. The kids are still asleep."

Turning, she looked over her shoulder. Her expression melted. "Sorry. I just…I don't understand, Jacob. This is…"

I gripped her hand and went back to stroking her cheek. "I know, baby. I know. Carlisle just told me a couple hours ago. I can't believe it either. But I trust him. And Cricket." When the panic remained, I looked her in the eye and said, "I am not leaving you, okay? Remember, we're in this together."

Leaning back into the bed, she took a deep breath. "Okay. Yeah, I know that. Just…wow." Her hand found her belly again. "I can't believe we're here again. I thought that maybe for once my dream was wrong. Maybe we were destined for only two. Now we have two more on the way. I was only planning for possibly one more."

"I know. Me, too. But we can do this. Will and Jules can practically take care of themselves," I said with a chuckle. "We'll get through this. All of us."

There was a knock at the door as Nessie smiled at me with all kinds of grateful.

"Come in," Nessie said still staring at me.

Emmett and Rosalie were standing next to the bed a heartbeat later. "You wanted to see us?" he asked with a smile.

Rosalie was glowing. Laughing, Nessie handed her the ultrasound picture. She took it greedily and sighed over the two spots. I would never understand women and first ultrasound photos. I mean, it wasn't even baby-shaped. More like a grain of rice. Or a peanut.

"Yeah," I said, shaking my head at Rosalie. "What was Cricket talking about that you would know where we could go? I know you heard that conversation. Or asked Edward about it when you heard your name."

For once Emmett actually looked nervous about something. "Well, uh, for your anniversary present, Rose and I bought you something."

"Uncle Emmett," Nessie said suspiciously, eyeing her uncle. "What _is_ this something?"

The couple shared a look before Rosalie bent back to the photo pretending to be too busy to answer the question.

Emmett rolled his eyes, and then just dived in. "We bought you an island, okay?"

Silence…silence…silence…possibly some crickets…

"You did what?!" Nessie squawked. So loudly that Will and Jules woke up. After Rosalie said she got it, Nessie lowered her voice. "You did what?" she hissed.

Now Emmett was grinning. "We bought you an island," he said as if that were the reaction he was looking for from us. "Figured you and Jake would like an isolated place to kick it and leave us with the kidlets."

Nessie and I stared at each other in dumbfounded silence.

Nessie put a hand to her forehead. "I can't…you…what…"

I just rested my elbows on my knees and blinked down at the floor. "Wow…"

And then Jules appeared in front of me. The leftovers of her Halloween make up were smudged all over her cheeks. Her hair was an array of frizzy curls around her shoulders.

"Hi, Daddy." Easily, she pulled my clasped hands apart so she could stand between my legs and lean against my thigh. She was biting her lip just like Nessie did while she watched her mother, aunt, and uncle.

Flipping my hands over, she placed her tiny palms in mine and put her back to my chest. Like every other kid, she moved around, unable to stand perfectly still.

I kissed the top of her head. "Hey, baby. Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah-huh."

Will came to stand in front of her. He took her face in his hands, leaned in, and kissed her forehead sloppily.

Nessie giggled, putting her hands over her mouth, her astonishment forgotten in the face of our kids' cuteness.

Giggling, Jules scrunched up her face and said, "Ewww. 'ill kiss me, Daddy."

Laughing into her hair, I said, "I see that. You gonna kiss him back?"

She shook her head so vigorously, her curls bounced. "Nuh-uh."

We all laughed as she put her head down in fake shyness and pressed back into me.

I looked up at Emmett, and held my hand out. "Thank you. Though we really wish you hadn't, we'll be gracious about it. And instead of using it for private couple time, we'll break it in with tense, family time."

He took my hand and laughed. "You're welcome."

"I want my family to come with us."

I looked to Nessie.

She shrugged. "I haven't spent enough time with everyone. And I miss the Cullen time, you know?"

I looked to Emmett. "You had something built, didn't you?"

He nodded. "Yup. We were planning for a gaggle of kids so, it's pretty big. Two floors. Six bedrooms. Four baths. One in the master."

Looking back to Nessie, I said, "Mara and Cricket come with. If they want. I would say Shelby and Seth, too, but I need someone here with the pack."

"I can do that."

We all turned to the door. Walker was standing there with Christa and Haleigh.

Jules brightened up. "E-e!" And rushed out to hug Haleigh. Will followed his sister with less enthusiasm.

Walker came into the room. "With Embry's help, I can watch over your pack for you. Bianca is my second for a reason. She can watch over ours."

I stood up. "Are you sure?"

"Ness needs her best friend. And Shelby won't go anywhere without Seth or kids. I can handle it. It's not like your whole pack is going. Embry and Sam will be there if I need anything."

Christa walked over to Nessie, who showed her the ultrasound. I moved to Walker with my hand out. He took my forearm and I grasped his.

"Thank you. They may not go, but thank you."

"Do you really think you're leaving me behind?"

I knew that tone. Laughing, I turned to Shelby and Seth. Her arms were crossed over her stomach, eyebrows raised. After a moment, she laughed. "Of course. If you'll want me there."

"Don't even think about backing out," Nessie said viciously. "I am about to grow two babies really fast. I need you."

She grinned around me. "Then consider me there already waiting for you."

Seth nodded to me over his mate's head. "And you need support, too, Jacob."

Carlisle came in beside them. "I'm already having equipment sent out. If we leave in the next couple days, we can drive instead of fly. And then take a boat out to the island." He looked to Nessie. "Will you feel well enough?"

She shrugged surrounded by the females. "I do already. Maybe a couple more hours of sleep. But yeah."

All of us exchanged glances and nods.

It was settled. In a few days, we'd be packing up to leave Forks for some island that had been gifted to me and my family. I needed to tell Billy and my sisters. They weren't going to be happy. Most likely, the babies would be born on that island. I wasn't going to kid myself into the thinking we'd get Ness back home if she wouldn't be fit to travel later. Nessie had to know that, too. I knew she wanted all her kids born here, but that just wasn't going to happen.

But as long as she and the babies were safe, I didn't care where my kids were born.

**WalkerPOV**

Man, twins. I'd thought Jake and Nessie were done having kids. Apparently not.

"I can't really believe it," Christa said, echoing my thoughts, as I drove us out of Forks. "But I suppose it makes sense."

"How so?"

She shrugged, her thumb rubbing over my knuckles where we held hands. "Jacob's sisters are twins."

"Ah." I turned us down the drive to the huge plot of land that now belonged to me and my pack. The drive wound through the woods, discouraging unwanted visitors.

"You didn't tell him," she said softly.

I sighed. "I couldn't. I mean, did you see how worried he already is? He just learned that his wife passed out because of the two new babies she's carrying. I'd be stressed to the max, too. He's excited but worried."

"Daddy?"

I looked in the rear view mirror. "Yes, sweetheart?"

"I'm hungry."

"We're almost home, baby girl. What do you want?"

"Pasketti."

She met my eyes in the mirror and I gave her the "uh-uh" look. "We talked about using your words correctly. How do you say it?"

She huffed a breath but said, "Spaghetti."

"Good girl. It's important that you know how to speak, Haleigh. You're not in an actual school, but you need to know how to interact with outsiders."

"Okay, Daddy. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. Just think about what you want to say before you speak, okay?"

"Okay." She wasn't happy that she'd been scolded. And I hated that she felt like she was in trouble.

"Hey, ladybug," I said, looking in the mirror. When she looked at me, I said, "What do you say Daddy makes us a giant ice cream sundae after dinner?"

That brightened her up. "Okay!"

"Alright."

Settling back in my seat, I looked over to find Christa trying to not to smile. "What?"

She rolled her eyes but grinned anyway. "You're terrible. And cute." She squeezed my hand. "It was very good of you to watch over Jacob's pack. And I love you for it."

I smirked and shrugged. "We're all family. And Nessie needs Shelby. You'd want Morgan with you. And Jacob will need Seth. We're just a big support group."

Pulling through the village of cabins, members of the pack smiled and waved. We waved right back. Haleigh lowered her window and said hi to everyone. As we pulled up to our cabin, I frowned. Embry's truck was pulled up to it.

"What is he doing here? I thought he had to work?"

Parking and hopping out, I got a whiff of pissed off as both Tricia and Embry opened their doors. It was Embry wearing that particular scent. His jaw was hard and clenched, muscles tight. Tricia's expression was one I knew very well. It was that "I'm right and you aren't changing my mind" expression. I rarely won a fight when she wore that expression.

Sensing that this was not going to be a kid friendly convo, I turned to Haleigh. "Why don't you go play while Mom fixes dinner?"

She was big enough now at nine years old to jump out of the truck by herself. "Okay, daddy. Garrett's visiting and wants to play kickball." Giving me a quick hug she took off. "Love you, both!" Her long braids flew out from behind her while she ran. Now she was too old for her favorite dolls. Watching her run in her jeans and sweater tightened my heart. At nearly twenty-one, I never thought I'd be worrying about my nine year old daughter and boys. I felt so old.

"Be careful!" Christa shouted. "Don't go too far into the woods!"

Haleigh turned and grinned, running backwards. "I won't, Momma!"

Christa put a hand on my arm, giving me the look that said she knew how I was feeling. Our six year old little girl was no longer so little. Soon she'd be a teenager. Hell, Garrett, the son of an alpha couple to the south of Forks, already was. And he was an attractive kid. I was kind of dreading her getting older.

We'd started up a small classroom to educate the young ones. Some of the adults were gifted in certain areas. They would take turns teaching that subject. Garrett, and some of the others from Calahan's pack, had wanted to join in since the pack leader didn't believe in schooling about the outside world. Garrett was always up here. His visits were more like staycations. He rarely went back home unless Calahan called him back for pack business. At fourteen, he was being groomed to take over as pack leader when he turned either eighteen or twenty-one, though the packs considered young ones adults at sixteen. Christa had talked Emma, Garrett's mother, into giving him more time to learn under his father. Most of the teen girls here had a crush on him, and the older women were charmed by him. He stayed in a cabin with the single males. Every time I'd encountered him, he'd been nice and respectable.

And I was pretty sure he had a thing for Haleigh. Even though my paternal instincts would grind my teeth, I never found him inappropriate with her, which saved his ass. I'd been told that pack males could take a mate at sixteen as long as the female of his choosing had started her monthly cycles. Haleigh was nine, and according to Christa, could start at any time since she had a good percent of body fat to her. That had made me groan. Not something, as a dad, I wanted to know. But something I needed to know. Once he got closer to sixteen and he still showed signs toward her, I'd have a chat with him. No way was my daughter mating that early. No way. No how. Nuh-uh. Not happening. I didn't care if he was the son of an alpha.

Sighing, I turned away from the prospective future to the current one. "Hey, guys. What's up?"

If Embry's lips were any tighter when he spoke, they'd snap off. "My dear wife has something she'd like to talk to you about." He enunciated every word.

Tricia's eyes met mine with cool determination. Uh-oh. We were in for a doozy. Gripping Christa's hand, I moved toward the front door. "Alright, let's troop in. Something tells me this should be done inside."

We walked inside the roomy cabin. There unopened packages everywhere. Some addressed to me. Some to Christa. And, surprisingly, a lot for Haleigh. As the daughter of an alpha and almost to "mating age", she was a prized commodity. A lot of sons of alphas were going to be trying to woo her in hopes to create an alliance between the packs. Apparently, a lot of packs wanted to be allied to those who helped to force the Volturi into a retreat. So not gonna happen anytime soon.

"Holy crap," Tricia said as she followed us in. "What the hell is all this?"

"Gifts," I answered, slipping out of my jacket. "It's a my-kind-of-wolf thing. But you're not here to talk about me."

Christa shucked her jacket and went into the kitchen to fire up dinner.

When Tricia followed to help, Embry barred her way with an angry expression. "I'll help. You talk."

While he stalked off, I raised my eyebrows and looked to my sister. Marriage looked good on her. Though she and Embry were clearly fighting, she still had that love sparkle in her eye.

Christa and Embry started mumbling in the kitchen. She was trying to get him to go sit down, but he replied that he needed his hands doing something or he was going to go ballistic. Well, if that wasn't a clue…

"Why don't we go talk in the office first?"

She nodded. "Good idea. He's already pissed enough."

She followed me down the hall into the room I'd made into an office. It was piled with papers, bills mostly for the electricity and such, and letters from other pack leaders. Christa was a godsend. She organized everything so that the desk was neat and everything filed away. Instead of sitting behind the desk, I sat in one of the chair in front of it. She sat across from me.

"Wanna tell me what he's so mad about? You made a decision about something and he doesn't like it."

Crossing her arms and one leg over the other, she sighed out a huge breath. "No, he's not happy." Her eyes met mine. "Walker, I want to be like you."

I frowned. "How do you mean?"

"A werewolf."

At first, I just stared at her in shock. And then my mind clicked. Bursting up from my chair, I paced around, hands in my hair. "You want what?! No. Absolutely not. God, Tricia, what are you thinking? Why would you want this?"

"Walker-,"

"No, Tricia! I can't even believe you would say something so stupid."

She flinched.

Stopping, I put my hand on my hips and faced her. "Why? Why do you want this?"

She turned to me, eyes pleading for me to understand. "Put yourself on my shoes. What of you were human-"

"I was, Tricia. I was human."

"Okay well, think back to that. If you were still human and with Christa, knowing she could live past a normal lifespan, would want to force her to stop phasing and age with you, leaving Haleigh behind? Would you want to watch her age knowing you could have done something to stop it? Children of the Moon live a long time. I did my research on it. I would have a lot more time with Embry."

Unable to disagree with her, I tried to change it up. "That's all very noble and romantic, Tricia, but Embry knew you were human when he imprinted and married you. He knew what he was getting into and what would happen. He's okay with it. Why would you do this to him? Maybe he wants to grow old with you. Have you ever thought of that?"

Something flashed across her eyes and I knew she hadn't.

I went to kneel in front of her. "Don't do this to yourself, Tricia. Please. Go be normal like Emily. Sam isn't complaining. In fact, he's enjoying being retired. He likes not dealing with problems. Maybe Embry just wants to retire eventually, too, and work on cars the rest of his life. Tricia, it's not like, once he stops phasing, you'll be excluded. Sam and Emily still go to events. They still go to the bonfires. It is a natural part of living. If we hadn't ever gotten mixed up in their world, we would have met and married normal people who don't shift or phase. And we never would have batted an eye at something like fate. Just gone on to live our lives. You can't-," And I shut my trap, but knowledge flickered across her eyes.

I'd almost had her changing her mind, but now, her jaw tightened, lips thinned out. "You were about to say that I can't handle it. Weren't you?"

I pressed my lips together before I spoke. "Tricia, I know and understand why. And I'd have to agree with you. But the pain…I've never felt anything so awful, even when I don't fight it."

She stood up, ripping her hand out of mine. "Now you're grasping at straws. Look, Jacob told me that I'd have his support if I talked to you and Embry first. I have done that."

Without a word, I stalked out of the room and back toward the kitchen. Embry turned to face me with the same anger in his eyes that I knew I was sporting. "What the fuck?" I demanded.

He shook his head. "If he and Nessie weren't going through some shit, I'd be up in his face right now." His eyes went behind me to Tricia. "But your lovely sister decided to use their issues to cover her ass. She knew I wouldn't go after him with Nessie the way she is."

"Of course I did," she snapped. "We need to talk about this, not fight with my supporters."

He pointed at her. "He only supported you so you'd talk to us."

"No. He understands, Embry. He even agreed with me! Just like Walker did in that office." She looked to me. "He just thinks I can't handle the pain." Her eyes went back to him with a searing anger that I knew she was about to say something like a whip. "But my dear brother has never seen us in the bedroom."

And that was Embry's last straw. His face closed up nice and tight. Tightening his lips, he nodded. "Okay. Alright. Fine." Stalking to the door, he wrenched it open and slammed it shut.

Tricia's eyes were filling with horror and tears. "Oh, God," she whispered before running out after him.

Christa and I shared a look of "what just happened?"

Haleigh poked her head in the door looking worried. "Aunt Tricia and Uncle Embry just ran out like the house was on fire. Is everything okay?"

God, I wished I knew.

**TriciaPOV**

Through the mud and the drizzle, I ran after Embry. He was already to the exit to the main road.

"Embry! Embry, wait!" Getting up to him, I tugged on his arm to turn him toward me. His face was drawn and thinned down with anger. "Please. I know I shouldn't-,"

"Do you?" he said in such a low voice that I cowered from it. "Do you really know what you shouldn't have done?"

All I could do was swallow.

He pointed down the way we had come. "Fighting in front of them was one thing. They're family. But dragging our sex life into it? Our personal life? That is an entirely new level of inappropriate. And just because we go a little rough in the bedroom does not mean you can handle the shift. Just because I _fuck_ you hard-,"

My hand snapped out to crack across his face. I stepped in close to him, my own rage bubbling up. "You want to talk about inappropriate? Don't you _ever _talk to me like I'm just your slut, like I'm some whore you keep locked in your bedroom. I am your wife. You will treat me with more respect than that. You're right, I shouldn't have brought up the bedroom. That was wrong of me. But when we're out in public like this, you won't talk to me like I'm your whore."

With that, I turned on my heel and ran as fast and far as I could while he was still frozen with shock. Mud splattered up my shoes and pants. The drizzle turned to freezing rain, soaking through my jacket and shirt. My long hair clung to my back and face. The cold water mixed with the sweat and tears on my face, making me shiver. Even my nose started running.

By the time I found myself in front of a familiar door, I knew I looked like a drowned rat. And I had no idea that I'd run that far. From the outer ring of Forks to the rez. Trembling from head to toe, I knocked on the door.

When the door opened, I tried to smile through my frozen face. "Hi." Sniffling and swiping my face, I said, "I'm sorry, but…I need a place to crash. Embry and Walker both are angry with me. And I have nowhere else to go."

Morgan and Lucas both blinked at me.

Morgan was the first to snap out of her surprise. She reached out to take my hand. "Of course. Get in here before you catch pneumonia."

After a hot shower, dry clothes, and a warm meal, I laid in their extra bedroom and waited for Embry to come find me.

He never did.

* * *

**Phew. At first I was rooting for Embry and Walker. But then, I was kind of rooting for Tricia. Yeah she made a slip, but it was in front of family. Embry was a little too crass too close to beings with supernatural hearing. So it's kind of a toss up. I mean, I see why she should stay human, but, like Nessie, I sympathize. I just really don't know how this is going to play out. I think with this story, I'm going to be as surprised as you are. Oh yeah, and...TWINS! That one I've known since Will's pregnancy story. But yay! Okay enough talking. Love you! xoxoxoxoxo**


	3. Chapter 3

**Back with Chapter 3! Just for reference, it is now the very early part of November in the story. Nessie's POV will kind of point that out. And we're still on the day after Nessie's collapse. So this chapter is the same night and into the next day of last chapter, if that makes any sense. Of course, there's more cuteness as well as "drama".**

***Disclaimer***

**Please Enjoy!**

* * *

**ChristaPOV**

When neither Tricia nor Embry came back, worry pitted in my stomach.

"Do you think they're okay?"

Walker, behind the wheel of Embry's truck, shook his head. "I don't know, baby. Knowing Tricia, she ran off. That's what she does when she's too upset to interact. She'll go somewhere that she'll feel safe. If we hadn't been involved, she'd have run to us. And since Embry didn't come back, he's probably looking for her."

We'd left Haleigh with Bianca and Angelica knowing we'd be out late looking for one or both of them. "Well, she wouldn't go to my old place. There's nobody there. She'd want comfort."

"So who's closest to us? She can't run to us or to Jacob and Nessie. And women flock to women when they're emotional. I know she had a best friend when we were in school, but they haven't talked since we got involved with the packs."

Chewing on my lip, I thought about it. "Well, like you said, she can't run to me. So who's next on the list other than Nessie?"

We looked at each other at the same time.

"Morgan," we said together.

Digging out my phone, a call came through before I could dial. It was Morgan.

"Hey, I was just about to call you."

"Yeah, I figured you'd be looking for her. Your mate's sister is in my extra bedroom."

Relief at finding one of them hit me like a ton of bricks. "Is she okay?"

There was some moving around and a rumble, like she was cuddling up to Lucas. "She was soaked to the bone and frozen when she knocked on the door. But she took a hot shower and is in bed right now. She said that Walker and Embry were both mad at her and that she had nowhere else to go."

I sighed. "I suppose she doesn't what with her parents. Did you get those texts from Shelby about Ness and Jacob?"

"Yeah, we got them. I can't believe they have to leave. At least Seth and Shelby are going with."

"At least Walker's taking the lead on watching over the pack. Embry is probably not in a great state of mind right now. Has he been by? He never came back for his truck so we assumed he'd gone after Tricia."

"Nope," she said popping the word. "Still MIA though I know she's waiting for him to come for her and upset that he hasn't already."

"Yeah, I would be, too. Well, we're out looking for him. We're pulling up his drive right now." And just then, the trees opened up and what I saw froze my blood. "Oh, my God," I whispered.

"Christa?" Now Morgan was on alert. "What is it?"

"I gotta go," I said absently before hanging up the phone without looking at it, my eyes fixed on the scene in front of me. It was like a bad car accident that you just couldn't help but gawk at as you passed.

"Jesus fucking Christ," Walker said before he jumped out of the truck.

Embry was out in the rain, soaked to the bone. His t-shirt was a clear second skin on his torso. His jeans hung very low on his hips with the weight of the water dumping on him. But that wasn't what got my attention.

He was pounding his bare fists into the stone that made up the side of his house. Even from this distance I could see the blood spattered on the stones, his hands, and his shirt.

"Embry!" Walker yelled through the downpour, likewise soaked. Luckily, he'd left his phone in the truck. It would have been destroyed. "What the fuck are you doing, man?! Stop!"

Embry either didn't hear him or was ignoring him.

Leaving my own phone in the truck, I hopped out. "Walker! You gotta stop him. Carlisle can't deal with broken hands right now!"

Taking a deep breath, Walker bounced on his toes before bursting into a flat out run. Ramming into Embry, he took him to the ground. That was the only way to do it because, despite Walker's athletic build, Embry was a beast in comparison. And even with the breath knocked out of him and flat on his back, he snarled up at Walker. Walker managed to grab onto his arms.

"Dude, Embry! Enough!"

I ran over to them. They rolled around in the muddy grass before Walker managed to get up behind Embry and put a joint lock on one of his arms. "I said, enough!"

Going to my knees, my momentum carried me to a stopping point just in front of Embry. I put my hands on his snarling, panicked face and made him look at me. "Embry! Embry, it's okay!"

His chest was heaving. "I can't…I couldn't…she's gone…"

Tightening my grip on him, I said, "She's safe, Embry."

That got his attention. His eyes calmed and met mine. "What?"

"I said, she's safe. She's okay. She's at Morgan's."

The tension went out of his body after he studied me for a few heartbeats, clearly trying to determine if I was telling the truth. When he calmed enough, I nodded up at Walker. Cautiously, he eased away from Embry, keeping a very close eye on him.

He slumped and I wrapped my arms around him. "I couldn't keep her scent. The rain was too heavy. And she was already gone."

Gently, I pulled him into my arms. "It's okay. She's safe at Morgan's, waiting for you." His arms wrapped around me, and his blood smeared over my wet skin and the sleeves of my shirt. "Come on, we gotta get these hands cleaned before the skin heals over the dirt."

"I need to go get Tricia. She expected me to come after her." He started to get up.

Walker put a hand on his shoulder after he stood up. "No, man. Not looking like that. You need to clean yourself up and take your truck. No need carrying her in this mess. She'll get sick."

"What about you?"

"We can phase it out."

Ten minutes later, I was sitting on the couch, a towel under me, with a first aid kit and Embry's hand in mine. The injury was so bad that even though he'd healed some already, it was still gushing blood. I'd already cleaned one hand, the bandage already blushing through. In his right hand, his dominant and the one I was currently bandaging, bone shined through the blood and broken skin of his knuckles. But through it all, he never flinched.

"Thank you," he said quietly.

"You're welcome, Embry. Everything is going to be okay. You and Tricia will work this out. You just needed time to cool off, or get your aggression out."

He nodded, but his eyes were distant. "When I lost her scent, outside the rez, I was so scared he'd just taken off. When she wasn't here, I just couldn't handle it. The fear. The anger."

Walker was standing by the fireplace. He crossed his arms over his chest and watched Embry. "I'm sorry, but as her brother, I need to ask. What did she mean by the bedroom stuff?"

Embry's eyes looked down at my hands working on his. "I don't beat her. And it's consensual. I swear. We just get a little rough. She claws up my skin. I grip her so hard that I leave bruises. I'm sure you two are rough but your skin is tougher. Doesn't show as much of the wear and tear."

"So not BDSM?"

"Walker," I admonished.

He shrugged, not backing down.

"No," Embry answered. "You can search the bedroom if you want. No chains, gags, or whips. It's just the two of us. We both like the bite of nails or teeth. But I swear that if she tells me no, it's no. Period."

Walker studied him for a moment longer before nodding. "Okay. I believe you."

A little more of the tension left Embry's shoulders. "Good. Believe it or not, that actually means something."

Completely ignoring the sentiment, meaning that it meant something to him too, Walker asked, "So what do you think of her brilliant little idea?"

Embry sighed. "I see her points. I really do. And, God help me, I agree that I don't want to see her age and die that quickly. And I'll miss the pack. I'll miss running with them. Although, retiring would be nice. I've done this for so long, it's a toss-up. I'll miss it, but I can't really let go. What about you?"

Walker shrugged. "I can see both arguments. Why mess with something you've already accepted? But on the other hand, she used my past humanity against me. Would I like to force Christa to accept that she has to stop phasing and age with me? No. Would I like to think she could have had a longer fuller life with our daughter and any future kids if I was changed into something that could keep up? No. The only thing I worry about is her surviving the infection long enough to let it take effect. She's never been through that sort of pain. I had when those wolves were ripping me apart, sinking the infection further into me. Shelby did as well when she was attacked. As Jacob probably told her when he threw her his support, she'd probably have a good chance at surviving with her near her. Since she's your imprint, there's no doubt you'd be her true mate were she to change."

"You think she should do it, don't you?" I asked, realizing what he was saying.

His eyes flashed green when he looked at me. "She's my sister. I don't want to see her age and die any more than Embry does."

"Then why fight her on it?"

"Because what if we're wrong, and she dies? We'd have cut her lifespan in half trying to give her more years. Would it be worth it? Besides, though she's angry with them, I know she hopes Mom and Dad will come around. If she does successfully change and they decide to get over it because she's human? If it slips that she's not anymore, they'll completely disown her. I could handle what they did. She won't if they absolutely confirm it."

"Why would she be worse off than you?" I asked, finishing up the wrap in Embry's knuckles.

"Because she was disowned by her birth parents," Embry said in a bland tone. "Being disowned by two sets of parents would destroy her."

Sighing, I let go of Embry's hand and put my face in my hands. "So are we supporting her want or not? This is like a really ugly tennis match."

"That, my dear wife, would depend on if Tricia could really let go of her human past. If she could really let go of Mom and Dad before they for sure disowned her." Coming forward, Walker clapped Embry on the shoulder. "Which is the question you should ask her after you pick her up. It will make her stop and really think about it." He looked to me. "We should go. Haleigh's probably wondering what happened to us."

I rolled my eyes and stood up. "Or she's ogling Garrett."

He growled. "Another reason to get back up there."

Embry stood up and hugged me. "Thanks again."

I hugged him back. "You're very welcome. Now go bring her home. Morgan's waiting for you."

With that, Walker and I left, keeping to the woods. Instead of shifting and phasing, we decided to play in the rain all the way home.

**EmbryPOV**

As soon as Christa and Walker shut that front door, I flung it open and ran for the truck. Walker had left the keys in the ignition so I cranked it up and flew out of the drive. Luckily it was late and nobody was on the streets.

When I pulled up to the curb in front of Morgan's house, I threw it in park and jumped out, leaving it running. The front door opened long before I reached it. Lucas silently stepped aside, letting me in.

Morgan pointed down the hall. "Last door on the left."

Barreling down the hall, I nearly fell through the door when I opened it. And there she was. With the glow from the streetlight hazing in through the rain, I could tell that she'd cried herself to sleep. The skin around her eyes was puffy and red. Her hair was a straggly mess where she didn't blow dry it before going to bed. And she was shivering even under two heavy quilts.

"Take her home," Morgan said at my elbow. "Even angry, I'm sure she'd rather wake up to knowing you came for her than to us knowing you didn't."

I turned to her. "Thank you. I owe you."

She shook her head. "No, you don't. We're a pack, Embry. We're all family. You can make it up to me by fixing whatever's wrong."

Nodding, knowing that I would lose the fight, I went into the room and scooped Tricia into my arms. Instantly, the tension in her face relaxed and she sighed against my chest. The knot in my gut loosened slightly.

Outside, the rain had let up. Lucas silently went out to open the back door of the extended cab. "Thanks," I said laying her down across the back seat.

He nodded. "Just fix it, or you will both suffer."

I ducked my head once and hopped back into the truck. Going home, with precious cargo, I drove a little saner than I had going to get her. Luckily, the rain had stayed at bay, so that when I got home and put her in bed, she was still warm and dry. Leaving her in the clothes she'd borrowed, I grabbed some shorts and a blanket from the closet. Before I went to the couch, I couldn't help but kiss her lips softly. Sighing again, a small smile spread her lips when she turned toward me.

My chest tightened as I went to lay down on the couch.

We would work this out. We _would._

**RPOV**

The next morning, November something or other, I thought, _Day one, month one, _as I tugged my jeans over my butt and sighed when yet another pair wouldn't come close to buttoning.

"Seriously?" I sighed in irritation. Looking down at my already fluffy tummy, I said, "You guys couldn't give your mother time to adjust to the fact that she's carrying two babies in there?"

"Ness?" from the bedroom. "You okay?" Worry colored Jacob's tone.

Grinning, I rubbed my tiny bump. "Yes, baby. I'm fine. But we need to pack all of your sweats and all of my stretchy pants. And I literally mean _all_."

His head poked around the jamb. "Why?"

Turning around, I tugged at the halves of my jeans for explanation. "Because my jeans are a no-go."

His eyebrows shot up. "But you wore them yesterday when we came home."

I quirked my own eyebrows. "Uh, honey, if Cricket is right, these two are about to do nine months of growing in just three."

He paled. He actually paled through his russet skin. "I didn't think about that. Dear God. Go grab my emergency pairs on the bottom shelf above my shoes. Which drawer are your pajama pants in?"

"The third one down."

He went for my drawers while I went for his sweats. Taking a pair off the top, I shimmied out the jeans and pulled on the sweats.

"Ahhh," I sighed in relief. "So much better."

Arms wrapped around me from behind. "Are you sure you're okay? I can do all the packing."

I hugged his arms to me, leaning my head into one of his biceps. "I'm okay. I promise. No fever or hot flashes. And if I do feel any of that, I will most certainly let you know."

I felt his lips on the back of my head. "Okay. Why don't you go help your mom pack for the kids? I'll stay down here and pack our crap."

"You sure?" Turning my head, I kissed the bulging muscles of his arm.

He nodded. "Yeah."

"Okay."

Breaking away from him, I grabbed a couple extra bags just in case. When I passed him on my way out, I stood on my toes and kissed his lips. His eyes were still worried despite my assurances. "I promise that I feel fine. I would tell you otherwise. It's not just me I'd be risking but our babies. I won't do that."

He wrapped his arms around my waist. "I know. That doesn't stop me from worrying, though. It hit you so hard and unexpectedly the other day. You scared the hell out of me and Will. I'd thought…you were…"

Leaning into him, I kissed his chest through his shirt. "Shh, don't think about that, alright? I'm permanently surrounded by people until I give birth and that is perfectly okay with me. And this time, I'm watching for it."

"Daddy?"

We turned to find Will standing in the doorway. His eyebrows were raised, lips pursed.

"What is it, buddy?"

"Jues." And then he pointed.

Jacob and I shared a look before rushing into the room. The fire wasn't going because we knew they would be down here with us so we knew she wasn't about to get burned. But when we got into the bedroom, we couldn't see her.

"Where is she, Will?" Jacob asked, a little franticly.

He pointed to the large duffel bag on the bed. "In dere, Daddy."

Going to the bed, Jacob frowned and bent over, lifting the flap. His expression to dry humor. "Really, baby girl?"

Even from here, I could see her grin from the dark depths. She was laying down on top of our clothes with Tigger faithfully at her side. "Hi, Daddy!"

Laughing, he reached in. "Come on. Gotta get out."

"No!"

"Jules, you need to get out, okay? Daddy has to pack our clothes. You wanna go on the trip, don't you?"

She nodded, that lower lip stuck out. "Yeah-huh."

"Okay, then. Mommy and Daddy need to have some clothes. You're not clothes, are you?"

She shook her head, curls rubbing against the bag. "Nuh-uh. Jues."

"That's right, you're Jules. Not clothes. So come on out. You can help Daddy pack, okay?"

She sniffled. "Otay." As Jacob reached for her, she reached out for him. He tugged her out and against him.

"That's better. Now I can see you." He nuzzled her cheek and she scrunched up, giggling.

Smiling, I said, "Well, I'm going to go upstairs now that you have your little helper."

"Mommy!" Will yelled as I went for the stairs. He held his arms up.

"Mommy can't carry you, big man. But you can hold my hand."

"Otay!" He ran to me and took my hand. "I help you, Mommy."

Laughing, I looked back at Jacob. "Okay, Will. You can help me."

He laughed but said, "Don't overdo it. If you get tired, take a break."

I held up the three finger salute with my free hand. "Promise."

Together, Will and I made it up the stairs. I moved the baby gate and he led me to the stairs leading to the third floor. It was slow going but eventually he pulled me up the stairs with him. He went straight for his room where my mom was currently packing.

"'Ama!" he yelled, letting go of my hand and running for her.

She turned and smiled, scooping him up. "Hey, you. Are you gonna help us pack for the trip?"

He nodded. "Uh-huh. I help Mommy 'if stairs."

"Did you?"

He nodded again and then pointed me. "See?"

"I see." Mom looked at me while I rubbed a hand over my swollen abdomen. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good. Just can't believe I already have a pooch. Yesterday I could fit into my jeans. Now they won't even zip. And I am not wearing those awful maternity jeans if I can help it, though I know that Jake is packing every article of clothing we own."

Mom nodded and put Will down so he could go play with the blocks that we kept up here. "Well, even though Emmett and Rosalie stocked the house with kid stuff, I'm still packing most of the stuff here. It'll be more familiar to them, more comforting. No doubt Jacob is going to be more about you for the next three months, which is understandable. That's how your father would be."

"Yeah, that's a good idea. So this island must be pretty big if I can slake my blood lust there."

She went back to emptying out the drawers of clothes and pull-ups. Will was potty training and learning quickly. Soon he'd be in normal underoos. "Not necessarily. I know that it's close to Hawaii. A fairly new island. With all of us going, we can take turns hunting for you and bringing it back. With tons of forest there it won't be hard to conceal the kills and to feed ourselves." Tucking the shirt away into the bag, she came to me and cupped my face. "Don't worry. We've got this covered. All you need to concentrate on is keeping yourself and these babies healthy. We'll take care of the rest."

I wrapped my arms around her and tucked my face in her hair like I used to do when I was a baby. Letting my walls down, I flooded my thoughts with my thanks and relief that she and Daddy were going to be there. And my fear that Cricket would finally be wrong and not all of us would make it back to Forks.

Her hand stroked my hair. "Oh, baby. Of course we're going to be there. And don't you dare doubt yourself. You're strong. You will all make it through. I won't have it any other way, and neither will Jacob or your father."

"I wish Billy could go. You know, for Jake. He wasn't happy with Jake told him we had to leave."

"Well, baby, there is one more room available. The kids are all bunking together as well as Mara and Cricket. We were going to keep the luggage in one of the two extra rooms. That leaves another room. Carlisle is setting up the medical room in the day room. It has the most light and space. With these twins, they'll need more room to move than what a bedroom can give them."

"That would be great. I know Jacob would want Billy there. You know, so he doesn't deprive him of seeing his grandchildren born."

"Of course."

"I love you, Mom."

Her grip tightened. "I love you, too."

Pulling back and feeling better, I rubbed at my eyes. "Okay, well. I guess I should get Jules packed up." Grabbing an extra bag, I went to her room. She was the cleanest troublemaker I'd ever seen. Her room, without my help, was kept in perfect order. Everything was put back where it was supposed to go. At first, I'd had to tell her to put stuff up when she was old enough to understand, but now? Nope. The only thing I did was vacuum and straighten up her attempt to make her bed. But at least she'd tried.

Of course, today, I didn't have my mother's neatness, refolding every article of clothing precisely. Jacob wanted to be on the road sometime today. He was alpha and my husband. It would be done. Period. And I agreed. I'd called Shannon and Xavier to ask them if they'd watch the house and that they would be paid when we got back. They'd agreed and refused the payment. We'd pay them anyway. Cricket and Mara had both agreed to come along. Trey couldn't go because of his tech training, but said that it was okay because it would force him to practice and concentrate. Poor guy was working too hard. Jacob and I had talked about sending the two on a vacation when he was able to get away.

Now, I just scooped up stacks of clothes from the drawers and shoved them into the bag.

I was on the third drawer and had turned back to it to find Jacob standing in front of the dresser, an intense look of love and fragility to him.

"Jacob, what-,"

He pulled me to his chest. "I love you, woman. So damn much."

"Um, Jacob," I said, hugging him back. "I love you, too. But what is it?"

"You and Bella," he said roughly. "Getting Billy to come. Thank you."

Now I really hugged him back. "My family is coming. You should get to have some of yours. We'll make sure his room is on the ground floor so he can get back and forth easier. I'm sorry we can't fit Rachel and Rebecca. I never thought I'd say that I wish the house was bigger."

"I love you," he said again, face buried in my hair. "I can't believe you thought of me when you're going through so much."

Over his shoulder, I saw Mom in the doorway, looking as if she would cry if she still could. Will and Jules were peeking around her legs.

I rubbed his back. "Of course I did. You're my husband and the father of these babies. You're going through stuff, too, and yet you think about me. That's what marriage is, baby."

We finally pulled apart, his eyes red-rimmed and puffy. I reached up to rub my thumbs under his eyes.

"Come on. Help me finish packing for Jules. We'll get it done faster together."

"I finished for Will," Mom said. "I'll go down and finish for the two of you."

She was gone leaving us with our kids.

Jacob grabbed an empty bag. "Jules, come here, baby," he said, crouching down. She came to stand between his legs, leaning on his thigh. "Will you do something for Mommy and Daddy?"

She nodded.

"Good. I want you to pack the toys you want to take with you, okay? You can't take everything, so just pick the toys you really want, alright?"

"Otay, Daddy." Even though the bag was entirely too big, she dragged it to sit between her closet and toy chest. Frowning in thought, she was clearly thoroughly engrossed in her task. Whenever Daddy gave her something to do, she was on it.

Together, Jacob and I cleared out her dresser, her closet, and her shoes. She hated hair bows, and I was not the kind of mother who would force my child to wear them even though I thought they were cute. She didn't want them, she didn't have to wear them. So, I packed her brush and the gentle product that I used to help calm the curls so they could be put back. We shared a container of hair bands and it was being packed with my stuff. Jacob had gone to help her with the toys and her very many throw blankets. The child was a comfort whore. Seriously. Her bed was so plushy she'd sink in. Her pillows were thick and fluffy. And her blankets were soft but warm. There were also some cozy children's reading chairs in the corner with her book shelf. Even though she couldn't read yet, she'd draw and color sitting in those chairs. She'd picked it all out on her own when she'd gone shopping with Jacob and Alice one day. I was quite proud because it was everything that I would have picked for her. Even though she was a daddy's girl, she had her momma's tastes in comfort.

While they still dallied with the toys, I went to pack another bag full of books she liked us to read to her. I also made sure to pack her crayons and colored pencils, and plenty of paper. Most of her room was packed up, as was Will's. Their things would comfort them being so far away from home. This was their first trip and something told me that I wouldn't get to enjoy most of it.

That morning, Dad, against my protests, had gone out to buy a small RV for the drive down California. The kids wouldn't do well in their car seats for that long of a drive, and they'd have a bed to nap in on the way. While Mom and Dad would sit up front, Billy, Jacob, and I would be able to hang out and enjoy the drive. Jacob had already said that we might be able to stop at the beach for a couple hours. Uncle Emmett and Uncle Jasper would drive separate cars with everyone else.

There was a knock on the door. Mom was standing there. "We're all packed. Mara and Cricket have arrived. Seth and Shelby are also packed with Alice's help. Your uncles and dad are out waiting to get your stuff down and packed into the RV.

I nodded. "Thanks, Mom."

"Just let me know."

Holding Jules's bag, I looked around the room…and teared up. Cricket could very well be wrong and I could possibly never see this place again. Strong arms wrapped around me again from behind.

"Don't think like that." My shield was still down. "You will come back, okay? We'll come back home with two new babies and be a family. They're growing fast. You did, too. They're just taking after their Momma."

Looking down at the purple bag in my hand, I said, "Mom didn't make it. She had to be changed."

"Nessie, this is nothing like that. These two are letting you eat, letting you keep nutrients in you. You didn't. In the womb, you were more like Edward. You wanted blood."

I turned around, pulling out of his arms. "And that's why we're leaving, isn't it? My blood intake is going to go through the roof. That's the only reason we're leaving."

Face going stubborn, he put a hand on my stomach. "Listen to me. These two and you are nothing like you and Bella, do you understand me? The only reason Bella d…died was because you became too big inside of her and you were too strong for a baby. That's it. Even though Will and Jules each grew at different rates, they didn't have that strength or the size to do that kind of damage. That was the only commonality besides your blood intake. There's nothing saying these twins won't be any different. These are different circumstances. So stop. Please. Out of the two of us, you're the strongest. If you fall apart, there's absolutely no hope for me." He put his hands on either side of my neck, thumbs stroking over my pulse on either side. "Please. Stay strong for me."

Swallowing back my tears, I took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay. You're right. I'm being silly."

There was a tug on my pants. "Momma, 'ampa!"

I looked up to see Dad in the doorway. He smiled at us in that way that said he knew what was going on but wasn't going to say anything. It was that comforting smile that I knew meant we could talk to him if we needed to.

"Hey, Dad," I said as Jacob rubbed my eyes the way I had for him.

"Hey. I've got you all packed up except for what's in here. Everyone else is ready to go."

"Okay. Thanks. Can you take Will and Jules? We're right behind you."

He grinned. "Sure." He held his hands out to them. "Come with Grampa. We're gonna get ready to go on our trip!" They each took a hand and followed him out.

"You okay now?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Still scared and worried, but you're right. I need to be strong for them. All four of them. God, Jake. Four kids."

He laughed. "I told you I'd give you a small pack, didn't I?"

I laughed when he waggled his eyebrows at me. Rolling my eyes, I slapped his chest. "Yes, you did. And you delivered." In a fit of playfulness, I patted the crotch of his jeans over his length. "Good job."

His eyebrow quirked. "Fine. I'll just call you the baby-maker."

"Don't you dare!" I walked for the door. "It's not my fault you have super soldiers loaded in that thing!"

Chuckling in disbelief, he followed me, turning out the light. "Oh, nuh-uh. We've been over this. It's your mega-eggs, woman. Nothing to do with me."

"_What_-ever!" I said, going down the stairs. "Takes two to tango, baby. Isn't that what you said to me once?"

"Yep, and you were blaming me for Jules that time, too."

"Well, she _is _her father's daughter."

"Oh, and I suppose you're going to tell me that you'll take responsibility for Will?"

He followed me toward the front door. All the lights had already been turned off, the fires put out.

"Of course. That's my baby boy!"

He shook his head as he locked the door and let out a sound in exasperation. Turning to me, he grinned. "You are somethin' else."

"Why, thank you."

We shared a kiss before getting into the truck and driving down to the big house. Mom and Dad had already left with Will and Jules. And so, our journey began.

**EmbryPOV**

Afternoon sunlight streamed across my eyes and something soft was skimming over the skin of my left hand.

Jerking slightly, I opened my eyes. Tricia was sitting on the floor, her back resting against the side of the couch. Her platinum blonde hair was in a braid resting on her shoulder. It was her fingers playing over my hand, tracing my wedding band and the gauze wrapped around my knuckles. Luckily I hadn't had my ring on when I beat the stone on the side of my house because I took it off while at work. After this fight, I would have hated to have to tell her that I needed a new one.

When her fingers moved just right, I gripped them in mine. Her pale blue eyes flicked to me.

"Hey," she said softly.

"Hi."

She stopped touching me and hugged her arms around her torso, a pained look tightening her expression.

I moved over on the couch. "Come here."

Her eyes snapped back to me. "What?"

I patted the now empty space beside me. "Come here. I spent all night without you. I need you against me. Besides, I need to apologize."

Slowly, she stood up and crawled in beside me, putting her back to my chest and using my arm as her pillow. She reached out again to play with my hand. "You have nothing to apologize for."

"Yes, I do. What I said before you took off…Tricia, I shouldn't have said it, and especially not like that. I deserved what I got."

Despite that she was drowning in one of my old hoodies, she started trembling. "I should have never said anything in front of Walker and Christa about our personal life."

Slowly, I wrapped my arm around her waist, praying she wouldn't push me away. When she didn't, I let out a breath and squeezed her a little. "Well, we're even I guess. We hurt each other. Let's just move on."

She didn't say anything, just kept moving the tips of her fingers over my hand and forearm.

After a bit of silence, I said, "Tricia, we need to talk about this, about what you want."

Her fingers stilled. "What is there to talk about? You know what I want, and I know you don't agree. We're at a stalemate."

I moved my hand under hers so that I could feel her skin move over mine again. "Tell me why. Give me a reason that doesn't have to do with me."

For a very long time we were silent. She'd want to think about the answer because all she'd given me were reasons that involved me, nothing to do with just her.

With her in my arms, safe and sound, I couldn't help my own thoughts about how Walker and Christa had found me last night. I'd been desperate and scared because I had been so sure that I would always be able to find Tricia, and last night had proved me wrong. They must have thought I'd lost my mind. The moment I'd realized she wasn't home and that I'd lost her, rage had sizzled the blood in my veins. Rage at myself for being so angry with her. It wasn't like I hadn't been through something like this before with Bella. Of course, Jake had been tons closer to that. But still, her decision had affected us all. And it wasn't like Tricia had said vampire. She'd said werewolf, something still warm and alive with a heartbeat. Something that could still have kids and wasn't permanently frozen. Werewolves could still age, just slower.

"I think," she said slowly, pulling me out of my thoughts, "that it's not just something that I want. It's also something that I need."

"Need?"

She nodded. "With my parents turned against me and especially Walker, I don't belong in that world, Embry. In the human world. My tether is now you. And I'm not using that as my reason right now. I'm saying that I have been thrown into this world, but not like Walker was. I married into it. And even though the pack accepts me, I'm still on the outside looking in, only knowing what you, Nessie, and Walker tell me. I want to be useful to people other than just you." She looked up at me quickly. "Don't get me wrong, I love doing stuff for you, being your little housewife. I just…don't want to be so breakable anymore. I want to enjoy you. And I know you still hold back when we're intimate. I need to feel your power and know that I could give you the same in return. Remember when we met and I told you I felt like I'd been waiting for something amazing to happen to me?"

Interlacing our fingers, I nodded.

She took a deep breath. "I don't want you to take any of this wrong, okay? I just want to be fully honest with you."

Though my stomach clenched with dread, I said, "That's all I ask."

"Okay, well, when I met and married you, part of that something amazing happened. It just clicked. But I've also been feeling like something was missing. After you told me about the aging thing and the nightmares started, I knew there was something I had to do. I didn't want the vampire thing because I couldn't stand the thought that I would never give you children that way. The only other option is werewolf. And Embry, I _want _it. Look, I understand the risks and the pain involved. I've talked to Shelby and Walker before about it. And I read a lot so I know all the different explanations. I want your support. If I don't have it, if your opinion is final, then I'll bury it."

Throughout her list of reasons, I thought back to what Walker had said, to the question he told me to pose to her. Though I now agreed with her, hearing the truth ring in her words, I couldn't not ask that question, knowing it was there in my head.

Wrapping my arm around her, I turned her bodily so that she was facing me. Her hands, covered by the sleeves of my hoodie, rested on my chest. It was good to have her against me. I felt more complete.

"Okay, before anything else is said, I need to ask you something."

"Okay?" she whispered.

"I need you to really think about this." When she nodded again, and studied my face, I continued. "I know you've already thought about your parents, but there's one thing you haven't really considered. Are you ready to let _them _go? To let all possibilities with them be cut off? They haven't officially disowned you, Tricia. I mean, you haven't given them long to wrap their heads around this. And you haven't spoken to them. You're running into this not knowing how they feel. If you become a werewolf without knowing, and they would have wanted to try to have a relationship with you, and through you with Walker, what would happen when they found out about you? It's not something you'd be able to hide. Don't think that I didn't watch your mom notice about Walker's body heat. She was used to mine and Christa's, but not his. Could you handle that or do you want to talk to them again just to be sure?"

From the emotions in her eyes, I knew she hadn't thought about it. She swallowed hard and rested her forehead against my chest. "You're right."

"Does that mean you'll think about it before making the decision?"

Those pure blue eyes looked up at me. "Does that mean I have your support?" she asked in astonishment.

"If you think about it. Now, talking to them is up to you. If you don't talk to them, I want a reason why you didn't feel the need. But if you do talk to them, and still want to take that road, I won't question it."

"Really?" she breathed.

"Really. You made some good points. And I can't disagree that I want you to live as long as possible, even if that defies the laws of nature."

Her expression softened. "Embry, the infection is a part of nature. Just not a known part. Now, I'll agree to talk to them…if you tell me what happened to your hands. I have a feeling it has nothing to with work."

Lifting my hands up, I flexed them, the knuckled burning against the bandages. A new bright blush bled through the first rust-colored layer. "I used the stone on the side of the house as a punching bag."

Gasping, she rolled onto her back so that she could take my hands in hers. "Why would you do that?"

"I came after you," I said in a low voice. "I just…I lost your scent in the rain, and when you weren't here…" I shook my head. "Rage really doesn't cover what I was feeling. I felt so useless. As your mate, there was this feeling that I should be able to find you no matter what. And when I couldn't, the fury took over. At myself, not you. You had the right to hide somewhere and cool off."

"You looked for me?" she whispered in surprise.

Frowning, I looked down at her. "Of course I did. You're my woman. Of course, I did a crappy job, but-,"

She grinned, tears pooling in her eyes. Gently, her palm stroked my cheek. "That doesn't matter. What does matter is that you did look for me and would have come for me if it hadn't been for the rain."

Before I could say anything, she leaned up and pressed her lips to mine. I didn't question my luck, just wrapped my arms around her, holding her tighter to me.

"So, do we have a deal?" I asked against her mouth.

After another couple of pecks, she said, "Yeah, we've got a deal. And just so you know, if you hadn't thrown me your support, I'd still love you. 'Til death do us part."

Squeezing her, I said, "I have a feeling I would have given in eventually anyway. You're my imprint and I am always inclined to give you what you want. But I love you, too. God, I love you. You make me so proud to call you my wife."

"Really?"

I nodded, smoothing the straggling hair from her face. "You fought for what you wanted against both your husband and your brother. We're your family and you met us head on, knowing exactly what you wanted. Not to mention you gave really good points that were hard to argue with."

She chuckled. "Well, I learned from Walker not to back down. You just enforced it. But I'll go up to Mom and Dad's as soon as possible."

"Actually, why don't you wait until Jacob and Nessie come back?"

She frowned. "Why? Wait, what did I miss?"

"You haven't checked your phone?"

She shook her head. "No, I was too caught up in my own stuff."

"Nessie's pregnant again."

Now, she sat up on her elbows and stared down at me with wide eyes and eyebrows to her hairline. "What?!"

My turn to chuckle, I nodded, fingering the end of her braid. "Twins. Mara and Cricket both said they have to leave Forks because the pregnancy is only going to last a few months and the bloodlust is going to be too much for it to be inconspicuous. Seth and Shelby are going with them, so Walker and I are going to watch over the pack."

"Where are they going?"

I shrugged. "Jacob's text said somewhere isolated and protected. The Cullens are all going, too."

"Wow." She collapsed back down onto my arm. "I can't believe it. Twins?"

"Yep. They're leaving today, probably already gone with Jacob being the worrier he is about her."

Snorting, she shook her head. "Uh, yeah. I don't blame him."

We laid there in silence, thinking about how much crap was going on. The house was quiet, birds singing outside while the rare sunlight filtered into the living room. And then my stomach decided to let out a roar.

Chuckling, Tricia patted my abdomen. "Let's get something in there, shall we? What do you want?"

Leaning forward, I kissed her nose. "Whatever you feel like making."

Grinning, she rolled off the couch and went for the kitchen.

Man, I loved her.

"Oh, and I need to clean out and re-bandage your hands."

Yep, the love grew, just like it did every damn day.

* * *

**So? Whatchya think? Tricia's issues are not totally wrapped up, but I'm trying to kinda nudge her out of the spotlight so I can add some Caden and Leah into the mix as well as Seth and Shelby. And of course, true to pattern, _someone _will end up pregnant by the end of this story! Buahahaha! Anywhozzle, love you! xoxoxoxoxo**


	4. Chapter 4

**Finally, I am able to post chapter 4. I had so many issues with this one. I'm trying to make this story shorter chapter-wise, but there's so much I need to pack into these chapters! Some of you might be mad/upset/disappointed that I cut some Haleigh and Caden short, but it just needed to end where it did. Sorry I took so long. I have missed you guys!**

***Disclaimer***

**Please Enjoy!**

* * *

**JPOV**

It was Nessie who had decided that we not stop at the beach in California. Too scared the kids would fight us when we left. They could have all the beach time they wanted when we got to our own _island_. Rosalie would no doubt have a blast watching over them when Nessie and I were otherwise occupied. But Ness had brought her camera anyway.

Edward had also bought a rather large boat to fit all of us so we could avoid flying in a tin can with floaties. I agreed vigorously.

The guys and I were unloading the boat, but I kept my eye on Ness and the kids at the water's edge. She was grinning down at them, a hand on her stomach which had blown up another inch or so over the sixteen hour trip, while they ran around her splashing in the water. They'd been told to hold onto her pants so they wouldn't go too far. Bella and Rosalie were nearby, their feet in the water, too.

The island wasn't huge, but large for just one building on it. Plush and green with tropical plants and birds. The sand was white with crystal blue ocean lapping over it. It was gorgeous and I couldn't believe it was ours, mine and Nessie's. We'd definitely come back for some R&R. Hell, we may just stay for a while after the babies were born. Family bonding and all that before asking Edward to come back and drive us back. He'd do it, too. Being a vampire, he had a lot of time on his hands.

I heard a chuckle and looked up. Edward was giving me an amused look.

"Well, it's true," I mumbled.

He nodded. "It is true. And I would be happy to be of service." Coming toward me, he took the bag from my hand. "Now, go enjoy your family. We'll take care of all of this."

I just stared at him. Now that we weren't enemies, all he and the Cullens wanted to do was help all the time.

Edward chuckled again. "After all, Jacob, we have a lot of time on our hands and you have enough to worry about."

"Thank you, Edward. I'm really glad you're here. I'm glad Nessie has you."

He shrugged. "I'm her father. Where else would I be? Just like your father."

Narrowing my eyes, I said, "Speaking of, did you plan for him to be out here? I mean that walk goes all the way out into the water with a slope that he can park at and still be in the water. And you bought him a wheelchair to go in water."

His shrug told me nothing. "I had some spare time before we left."

"Edward, there was only about thirty minutes between deciding to bring him and us leaving."

He shrugged again, closing his eyes, hiding his emotions from me. "We work fast, which leaves us with a lot of extra time."

Giving in to defeat, I held my now free hand out to him. "Thank you."

He took it with a grin. "You're very welcome. Seeing as how he and I are now the same, I understood the need to have him here. I wouldn't want to be excluded from this. Now go."

After shaking his hand once more, I turned and went for Nessie.

"Daddy!" Will ran for me and I scooped him up.

His legs were wet as they wrapped around me. "Hey, big man. You like the water?"

He nodded enthusiastically. "Uh-huh." He pointed. "Jues!"

"I see her." She was running around her mother's legs, one hand always on Nessie's pants. Her long hair was getting damp from all the water splashing up on her. "Is she having fun?"

"Uh-huh. Down, Daddy!" His legs kicked against me until I put him back in the sand. Screaming in glee when his toes hit it, he flexed them, giggling and smiling up at me. Then he pointed at my shoes. "Soos off, Daddy."

Nessie giggled as I rolled my eyes and kicked off my shoes and socks. Together Will and I dug our toes into the sand. He giggled again planting his feet in front of mine and copying me.

"'irt, Daddy."

I knelt down in the sand and scooped some into my hand. "No, Will. It's not dirt. This is sand. Can you say that? Sand."

Standing in front of me, he patted his hands in my palms, spraying the sand everywhere. "Sand!"

I grinned. "Yeah. Sand." I held my hand up with the stuff in it. "This is sand. You wanna go tell Mommy what it is?"

That was how we got them to learn. One of us would teach them what something was and have them go to the other to tell them in order to reinforce it. Jules was easier to mold that way. Sometimes, with her, it only took one time of telling her. Will, on the other hand, was not. Once he was stuck on something, he was like a dog with a bone. One time, I sat with him for hours teaching him about ice. Somehow, he knew its base was water and refused to call it ice. I'd given up until out of the blue about a week later, he'd handed me his cup of water and asked for ice.

Today was going to be no different. He shuffled his feet through the sand to Nessie, bent over to scoop some the way I had, held it up to her and said, "Mommy! Sa-'irt!"

I hung my head while she laughed.

"No, baby. It's sand."

"Sand?"

"Yes. Hey, Dad?" she called. "Could you go get a handful of dirt so we can show him the difference?"

About a minute passed before Edward flashed to Nessie's side with his hands cupped. Nessie held one hand out for it before crouching down a getting some sand in the other. She held the one with dirt in it to Will, while putting the other out of sight.

"What is this?"

"'irt!"

She nodded, smiling encouragingly before putting that hand behind her back and bringing out the other with the white granules. "And what is this?"

He actually stopped and frowned. "'irt," he said but it was more of a question.

Nessie shook her head. "Sand."

"Sand!"

"Good." She tucked that one back and brought the dirt forward again. "This?"

"'irt."

She brought out the sand again.

"Sand!"

She grinned and emptied both hands, grabbing him up and pressing kisses all over his face. "That's my smart boy!"

I shook my head. "That's it. We're trading kids. I want Jules back."

Squishing her face with his, she laughed. "You're the one who wanted to try to teach Will."

"I know," I grumbled, actually a little peeved that I wasn't as good with him as Nessie seemed to be. "I guess I'll teach him when he's older."

Nessie, knowing me as well as she did, put a hand on my cheek. "Jacob, he loves you as much as he loves me."

As if to prove his momma's words, he reached up to me. "'uv you, Daddy!"

Feeling a bit emotional, I picked him up. He wrapped his arms around my neck and squeezed. And then planted a wet kiss on my cheek. "'uv you, Daddy," he said again.

Having to clear my throat, I said, "I love you, too, big man."

"Jacob," Nessie said, "some kids just learn better with certain people. Maybe it's the sound of my voice or the fact that he spends more personal time with me. When you aren't home Jules is off by herself but Will is always around me, showing me stuff and asking things. Jules learns better with you. Does that affect me? Sure it does, but I just remember that she is her father's daughter through and through. She learns better with you than with me. We'll trade places eventually. When they're older, you'll deal with the teenage boy and I'll be dealing with the emotional, girl stuff."

"Momma! Daddy!"

We both turned toward Jules. She ran to stand between us holding a shell in her hands. Her face glowed at the shiny object she'd never encountered before. One side of it was bleached white from the salt. The other was opalescent, flashing purple, then green, then blue. Giggling, she held it up in both of her hands, still glowing.

We knelt down again and I sat Will on my knee. He reached out to touch it.

"It's a sea shell," I said slowly to her.

She frowned, which told me she needed me to say it again.

"Sea. Shell."

"Thee. Thell." She still had issues pronouncing her S's.

Now Nessie said, "Jules, can you tell Mommy what it is?"

She held it up to her mother and grinned. "Thee thell."

Nessie grinned, wrapping her arms around her. "Very good, baby girl. Is it pretty?"

Jules nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah-uh. 'ere, Mommy." She held it out to Nessie, who took it.

"Can I have it?" Nessie asked, taking it from her in both hands as if it were the most precious thing in the world.

Jules nodded again. "Yeah-huh." She was eyeing the beach. "'or Daddy."

"Are you going to find one for Daddy?" Nessie translated.

Curls bounced with another nod. "Yeah-huh." And then she was gone.

In my arms, Will frowned after his sister. "You want to go with you her?"

He nodded, eyes still on her. Rosalie had come up and was watching over her which was why we hadn't freaked out at her running off. I set Will on his feet and he ran after her. She was crouched down, playing her fingers through the wet sand. Picky about her choice, she tossed shell after shell back into the water when it didn't meet her standards.

When we straightened up, I wrapped my arm around Nessie's shoulders and hugged her to me. Beside us, a camera went off. We turned to see Esme with Nessie's camera.

She smiled at us. "I hope you don't mind. I thought you might some family moments captured."

Nessie grinned. "Of course not! Can I see what you have?"

Together the two women bent over the camera oohh-ing and ahh-ing over the pictures. While they did that, I continued to watch my kids. Will kept watch over his sister even while he searched through the sand. Jules was perfectly content and focused. Although, every now and then, she'd look up to watch her brother and a smile spread her lips. If she were older, I'd think that she often thought he was too serious and was happy when she found him having fun. Because that's exactly what that expression looked like.

"Hey, Jake!"

I turned to see Billy in his new wheelchair and half submerged in the water. Edward was close by making sure that the chair wasn't faulty. Laughing, I walked over to him.

"Really? In your clothes?"

Billy put his head back and closed his eyes, enjoying the sunlight. "I've missed this."

Studying him, my stomach flopped. In the sunlight, it was easier to see that the grey and white had multiplied significantly in his long dark hair. There were new wrinkles to his skin that I had clearly ignored or refused to acknowledge. He was dying, getting ever closer to that last huge, and permanent, event of life. Looking at him, I could totally throw in my support to Tricia. But I would never suggest such a thing to Billy. Not only would he refuse vehemently, but he would tell me I was being selfish. I had Nessie, and my kids. I had my own family. And he needed to get back to his, which was my mother.

When he opened his eyes, I forced a grin. "Well, it belongs to me and Ness, so we can come back whenever you want a Black vacation. Maybe we can bring Rach and Becca out here. Have a family thing."

He grinned back at me, slapping a hand on my back. "Now that sounds amazing, son."

My heart clenched again, but I kept the grin. When he looked out to the water, I looked up to Edward. His eyes and smile were sad, as if he would miss Billy, too.

"Jacob?" Nessie came up behind me and wrapped her arms around my waist.

I smoothed my hands over her arms. "Yeah?"

"Carlisle wants to do an ultrasound before we eat. Aunt Alice is making us dinner. Why don't we go see our new vacation house?"

"Sounds good." I turned to Billy. "You gonna be okay out here?"

He chuckled. "As long as Edward doesn't push me to the sharks, I think I'll be just fine."

Edward laughed. "He's in good hands."

"Thanks." I turned to Rosalie a ways down the beach. Nessie moved to my side, keeping an arm around my waist. "Rose, you got the kids?"

Her blonde hair shining in the bright sunlight, she smiled. She really was beautiful when she wasn't being a bitch. "Of course. You go on."

"Jules, Will?" When they both looked up at me, I said, "You be good for your Aunt Rosalie, okay?"

They both shouted back a chorus of, "Otay, Daddy!" before going back to digging in the sand.

Laughing, Nessie excitedly pulled me toward the two story house that seemed taller than just two stories. The side facing us and the water was mostly glass. Both floors had wrap around terraces. The ground floor had showerheads at regular intervals and drains for washing the sand and saltwater off your skin. The low walls of the terraces were white with silver fixtures. Inside, the house was open and airy, windows cranked open, letting the breeze flow through the gauzy curtains to waft through the house. The floors were hardwood in a light honey color. The area that we'd stepped into from outside was a living room. Despite the fact that this was a tropical island, there was a fireplace just in case the nights became cool. The room opened to the top of the house, cutting through the second story. There was an overhang across the room. Underneath it was a dining room table with windows looking out into the woods. The overhang, it turned out, was just a narrow walkway that served as a hallway and looked out over both the living room and the dining room. The stairs to the second story were to the right. On the other side of them was the kitchen and a smaller eating area.

Beyond the kitchen was solid wall. Going through and around the kitchen there was a hallway. It looked like the three bedrooms and they all had window walls that opened out to the beach. Walking down the hallway, I could see that there was a room beyond it. Nessie gasped as we walked into the huge room that surrounded by glass and sunshine. It had to be the dayroom. Like the living room, it soared the two stories. There were tropical plants in the corners. The floor hear was marble tiles in cream, white, and tan. Plush chairs that had probably been positioned in the middle of the room had been pushed to the walls to make even more room for Carlisle's medical equipment. Situated to the side were two of those hospital-esque plastic cribs. Everything was set up just as it had been in the Cullen house, but the sunshine streaming through made it seem less sinister, though there was a rail that ran across the top windows that, when followed, led to curtains that could somehow be pulled around.

"Guys, this place is ridiculous!"

Ness and I both turned and looked up to find Cricket and Mara leaning over another overhang. The house was kind of set up like a hotel where the bedrooms were concerned. All the doors faced the back hallway with windows to the waterfront. The windows along the hallway looked out over the dense forests. So either you could sit on the terrace looking at the ocean, or you could sit out with the green vegetation. Either way, it was a win-win situation. Both views were gorgeous.

"I am so going back home with a tan!" Cricket said. Then she pointed down. "Did you see this? You have a _slide _in your house!"

Sure enough, when I looked down, there was a twist of white slide that actually went higher than the second floor. I frowned. Emmett had said only two floors. Cricket ducked down behind the wall and a moment later popped out in front of the book case. The slide was tilted up at the end so you practically flew out instead of being dumped. A large rectangular hole was cut out of the floor and filled with cushions. She bounced, laughing.

"C'mon, Mara. Get your panties out of a knot and have some fun before things get hairy."

Mara quirked an eyebrow before sighing and rolling her eyes dramatically. She ducked down and likewise slid down. Even though she tried to hide it, she was laughing all the way down. When she bounced out behind Cricket, she was grinning a grin so huge, I thought it would break her face.

"Oh, and by the way," Cricket said, still giggling and helping Mara to her feet, "there are three stories. But I won't tell you what's up there. You need to see it for yourself."

Mara nodded. "Indeed. It's pretty wonderful."

Nessie and I glanced at each other before making our way to a set of stairs against the wall that led to the second story. The hall opened into what was another, smaller sitting room, just as open and cozy at the same time. Against the far wall of the sitting room was a set of stairs that I realized was situated at the end of the house. They opened up like the furnished attic we had at home. But it was darker, the curtains drawn. It took a moment for me to realize that it was lit much like a movie theater. And once my eyes adjusted, I realized that that was exactly what it was. Huge round sofa-like chairs in suede and leather surrounded a shallow square cut out filled with cushions. The area in front of it was clear so the screen could be seen. And the screen? Covered the entire side of the shorter wall at the end of the room.

"Well, move," Cricket said.

Taking Nessie's hand, I pulled her up the rest of the way.

Cricket and Mara followed, grinning.

"This isn't all of it. And trust me, this took us some time to figure out, but-," she clapped her hands.

Instantly, the weak lighting went off just as the curtains started swinging open and were tucked into the corner. It was a surround-sound view.

"There isn't a terrace so if you crank the windows open you'd have to watch the children," Mara said. "However, the seats? They're filled with toys, blankets, pillows, and gaming systems. I think Emmett hopes you'll move in eventually. Oh, and one more thing." She pushed a button in the wall that separated the stairs from the room. The cushions in the shallow square raised up, the pillows falling off, clearly attached to the sides of the cut out. Where they landed, they could serve as chairs.

"A table," Nessie breathed.

Cricket nodded. "Dinner and a show. Family night. Whatever you want."

I nodded. "Alright. He's remodeling our house."

Nessie laughed and playfully slapped my shoulder.

"I'm serious. Our furnished attic is big enough."

"Yeah but we don't have the view."

I looked at her, feeling the need to step up a bit. "We could make it that way. Spruce up the area around the lake. I'm sure there are some colorful flowers that will grow in Forks. There has to be. We could make additions to the cabin where the kids could have a playroom. We'll be using that third room when we get home for the twins."

She bit her lip, looking at me worriedly. "Are you sure? I mean, that's a lot of work, Jake."

"I know but you know how Jules and Will are. They always want to go outside and play but some days they can't because of the rain. Let's fix that. It will give Emmett something to do."

"I would love to!"

Emmett was standing at the bottom of the stairs grinning at us.

"See?" I said, grinning. "Ness, as much as I would love to, we can't move here. Maybe when I retire from the pack and Will takes over, but that won't be for a long time. Let's give them something special. Besides, when they get older, they're going to have friends over all the time."

Her eyes narrowed. "You already have an idea, don't you?"

I nodded excitedly. "Yeah, I do. I'll draw it out with Emmett with this stay and then run it by you. Please? Let me do this for them. I want to be the awesome dad."

Her face melted, eyes glazing. "Oh, Jacob. You already are, but if it's that important to you, I'd love to know what you're thinking."

Hugging her to me, I felt a sense of usefulness. I was going to do something for my kids that they would be proud of.

A throat cleared down beside Emmett. It was Bella. "Sorry to interrupt, but Carlisle is ready and antsy."

"Oh right," Nessie said, pulling back and swiping her eyes. "The ultrasound."

"Thanks, Bells. We'll be down in a sec."

Nessie moved to the window and laughed.

"What?" I asked moving up beside her.

She motioned outside. "Think we'll be taking all those with us?"

Jules and Will had made a huge pile of shells by Rosalie's feet. The pile was almost to her knees, and she was a tall woman.

I laughed. "Well, at least it would go with my ideas."

"Really?"

"Yeah." I kissed her forehead. "Come on. Let's go take a peek at our buns in the oven."

**RPOV**

An hour later, I was still lying on the bed even though the ultrasound was over. Like a cat in a patch of sunlight, I was soaking up the warmth and rays with my eyes closed, listening to Carlisle and Jacob talk.

"From their growth, I will say that it's a good guess to say they'll be identical, not fraternal."

"How can you tell?" Jacob asked.

"The way they're positioned. Fraternal twins tend to have their heads facing the same way. Nobody really knows why. It's just very common in studies. I also suspect within a couple more days of growth, I'll be able to identify the sexes. If they're opposites, then fraternal, for sure. If they're the same, we won't know until they're born."

Jacob's heavy footsteps echoed as he moved toward the glass. "If they're identical, how will we tell them apart?"

Carlisle laughed. "The fear of every couple having indenticals. There will be some way to tell them apart. Birth marks, hair color, eye color. A mole that one of them has that the other does not. There are ways besides having shirts that say 'kid one' and 'kid two'."

Jake and I both fell into fits of laughter at that.

"There is, however, one concern I'm having."

Well that sobered us right up.

My eyes snapped open, landing on my grandfather. "Which is what?"

"When I listened to the heartbeats. You didn't hear it because it was so slight, but they have gotten slower."

Jacob stepped up beside the bed, lips tight, eyes glaring a hole through Carlisle. "Why didn't you say something at first?"

"Because the solution is quite obvious."

"Well, what is it?"

Carlisle's eyes moved to me. "You've avoiding your craving for more blood. The babies are losing strength from the lack of nutrients. You can only eat so much to support their rapid growth. The blood fills in. You must start drinking more blood, Nessie. The babies won't survive if you don't. I know that it scares you, sweetheart, but if you want these children to be healthy, you've got to swallow that fear."

Dad appeared a moment later with a glass of the red stuff. "You haven't had any since before we left the main land."

Taking the glass from him, I took a healthy gulp. It wasn't that I had been avoiding it. It was a sort of out of sight, out of mind type thing. For some reason, this wasn't like Will or Jules where I would think about it and crave it. It looked like I was going to have to consciously think about grabbing a glass of it. A couple more gulps and it was gone.

I licked my lips. "Can I get some more? All of a sudden I'm dying of thirst." My stomach rumbled. "And apparently ravenous."

"Good, because dinner's ready." Aunt Alice stood in the doorway of the hallway, grinning with a pair of tongs in her hand.

Jacob helped me off the bed. "What are we having?"

"Chicken pot pie."

"Oooo, that sounds yummy."

She wrapped her arm through mine. "Cricket taught me how to make it. Apparently it was my little sister's recipe."

As we walked into the kitchen, the smell of cooked chicken and veggies assaulted my nose, making my stomach rumble even more. I patted my belly before hopping into a stool at the bar that ran above the sink.

When Aunt Alice set a plate in front of me piled high, I said, "Yes, guys, all of this is for us."

Jacob chuckled as he sat beside me. He reached over to pick a carrot off my plate, but I glared at him until he took his hand back.

"I'll have you know that that carrot is going to the well-being of your children. Would you really do that to them?"

He rolled his eyes as the sound of little wet feet hit the hardwood. "Mommy! Daddy!" Will and Jules ran in, eyes bright and excited. Jacob helped them into chairs between us so we could help them eat.

Aunt Rosalie walked in a moment later, her jeans rolled up to her knees, and a big grin on her lips. "They wouldn't come in until they were absolutely convinced that their shells were safe. Emmett's out there right now making sure there aren't any crabs in them before putting them in a bag."

"Thanks, Aunt Rose. They were good for you?"

"Of course." She came over to kiss my cheek. "You two really do know how to raise kids."

"Jules," Jacob groaned.

She was piling her carrots onto Will's plate, one at a time. The child hated them something fierce. I remembered the first time she'd tried one outside of baby food. She hadn't recognized it and had bitten into the first cooked carrot. Her face had scrunched up so tight that it was a wonder it hadn't stuck that way. And then she'd proceeded to spit it out on her plate. Jacob had laughed for days. Will always ate her share of the carrots.

Once all the carrots were off her plate, she started eating, swinging her legs happily. Will was much more serious, watching Jacob eat. With a frown, he tried to sit like him, scooting higher in the seat and putting his elbows on the counter, arms framing his plate. Jacob looked over and laughed. Putting his fork down, he ruffled Will's hair.

"There ya go, buddy. Just like Daddy."

Will beamed at the praise. Though it was bad manners, it was still a bonding moment. I smiled at Jacob over our kids' heads. He had that proud gleam in his eyes.

It was then that everybody else came in. Seth and Shelby with Brayden and Piper. When Brayden sat at the table, Will wanted down to sit with him. Jacob got up to move him around. And once at the table, Will resumed sitting like his father. And of course, Jules wanted to sit with her brother. So Jacob moved her, too.

"See?" I said with a smile when Jacob sat back down. "You can teach him."

"Yeah, bad manners."

"And yet you do it anyway," I replied lovingly.

Shelby came around with Piper and kissed my cheek. "So, what did the doc say?"

After wiping my mouth with my napkin, I gripped Piper's hand and grinned. "He said that they're probably identical. A couple more days of growth and he'll probably be able to tell the sexes."

She bounced Piper. "Oh wow. What are you hoping for?"

I looked over at Jacob and rubbed my belly. "Well, I actually saw us as having a pack of boys, but of course, I don't really care either way as long as they're safe and healthy."

Jacob nodded over his food. "Absolutely."

"Any names yet?" She looked up. "Oh, thank you, baby. I'll be right there." And then she looked back to me. "Sorry."

I shook my head. "Heavens no. I suppose we do need to think about it, though."

"Oh my god, it smells so good in here!"

Everybody laughed as Cricket came in followed by Mara. They each grabbed a plate and went for the table. Dad rolled a now dry Billy to the table and went to grab him a plate. Shelby went to go sit with her family, Piper eating the pot pie. She and Jules were growing at about the same rate even though Jules was at least six months older.

"Thanks, Edward," Jacob said.

Dad just gave him a smile as he fixed a plate up.

Though it was nice having everyone here, it felt congested and claustrophobic. It would have been nice to have first seen this place with just me, Jacob, and the kids.

"Ness?" Jacob asked quietly while everyone around us laughed and talked. "You okay?"

Sliding on a smile, I nodded. "Yeah. I'm okay."

I knew he didn't believe me, but he said, "You need anything?"

Knowing he was asking so he could help in some way, I tried to think of something. Shrugging, I said, "I wouldn't mind a glass of the good stuff, if you know what I mean."

"Sure, of course." He wiped off with his napkin and went for the fridge and cups. He took down one large glass and two smaller ones. He knew that once Jules and Will saw my glass, they'd want their own. Filling mine up, he only put an inch or so into each of the small ones. On his way back, he set mine in front of me first before going to the kids.

"'ank you." "'ank you, Daddy!"

"You're welcome. Be careful, okay? Don't spill."

"Otay!"

The blood-drinking was now so normal that not even Billy questioned it nor did he seem so uncomfortable with it.

Jacob kissed me as he sat back down.

"Thank you, baby."

"Is it good or do you want me to heat it up a little? I didn't even think about it."

"Actually, cold works just fine."

Once we were both finished eating, Jacob took me by the hand. "Excuse us for a moment please."

He led me outside and down the wooden planks to where the walkway met the water. We both took off our shoes and dipped our feet in.

"What's up?" I asked, swishing my foot around in the warm water.

His arm snaked around me. "Nothing. I just figured you needed some air. And to watch this gorgeous sunset."

"How did you know that I needed that?" I said, wrapping my arms around his waist.

"Are you kidding? You're my imprint, and I've known you since you were born. Of course I know when you're feeling a little closed in."

Leaning down, he pressed his lips to mine and deepened the kiss. I clung to him, enjoying the way our tongues danced together. His hands came up to cup my face, keeping me where he wanted me. When he pulled back, he pecked my lips once, twice.

"Mmm, there. That's better."

Despite myself, I grinned and leaned into his touch. "I love you so much. I'm glad that you're here with me."

He turned me to face us toward the fiery orange sunset and kissed my hair. "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

And the truth was, no matter how scared I was, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else either.

**SethPOV**

Shelby, Nessie, Jake, and I had just tucked all the kids into bed in the same room. Piper had had the most difficulties until Jules had wrapped herself around my daughter. She'd calmed down and cuddled close.

Shelby and I had just gotten into our room when my phone went off. Of course it did. Pulling it out, I went to the huge canopy bed and sat down.

"Hello?"

"Hey, man," Walker said. "So I take it you made it?"

After kicking my shoes off, I laid back, legs dangling of the foot of the bed. "Yeah, we made it. How's everything there?"

There was a slight hesitation before he said, "Fine. We're all pretty good."

"And you're a terrible liar. What's going on?"

"Seth?" Shelby asked from the closet. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, Walker's on the phone." I brought the phone back to my ear. "So what's up?"

He sighed. "Dead deer on my property. Three. Ripped to shreds and arranged. Bianca says it's just traveling wolves."

"You don't believe her?"

"She's honest in her belief, but…I don't know, man. It just seems like a weird thing to do. She said they dumped the deer on our property knowing what we are and knowing we could take care of the bodies on our land."

I felt Shelby step in front of me before she crawled onto the bed and straddled my waist. She rested her palms on my chest. I arched an eyebrow at her. She just grinned.

"Yeah that does sound weird. Did you tell Jacob?"

A sound said he was moving around, and then his voice from far off. "Yeah, I'll grab it." And then he was back. "On the day Nessie collapsed? Hell no. I wasn't going to worry him even more, especially if B is right. Besides, nothing else has happened. It could be nothing, and I'm worrying because it's my job."

"True that. I hear ya. Oh, hey, tell everyone that Carlisle thinks the twins could be identical. He said he should be able to tell the sexes in a couple more days." Shelby leaned down over me and started kissing a scalding line over my throat and jaw. I pushed my head back to give her more access and forced myself not to groan in Walker's ear.

Walker whistled. "Damn. Those two really are growing fast, aren't they?"

I had to put the phone away from my ear and clear my throat a couple times before I could answer. Shelby chuckled. "Yup. Carlisle increased her blood intake, too, to help the babies stay strong because of their growth rate."

"Wow. Well, I'll let you go. And I'll be sure to let everyone know. Tricia and Christa are staring holes in my head right now."

"And me!" I heard in the background.

Walker chuckled. "And Haleigh. Gotta give the gossip to the girls."

"Of course. Night, man."

"Good night."

I threw my phone back on the bed and wrapped my arms around Shelby while she nipped at my ear. "What the hell are you trying to do to me?"

"Mmm," she mumbled against my neck. "I just can't help it. It's so good to have you back. I love this body under me, the strength. It drives me crazy and I want you all the damn time."

Letting go of her, I spread my arms out on the bed. "Well, here I am. You want me, come get me."

Jumping off me, she stripped down before yanking my clothes off. Before I knew it, she had me in her hand with one good, tight stroke. Bending over my hips, her tongue darted out for one long, luscious lick before she straddled me once more. She was radiant in the moonlight that washed over the room. The drapes had been opened earlier in the day.

Slowly, Shelby slid her body over mine, sheathing me inside her. Her eyelids fluttered closed as she adjusted to me filling her without foreplay first. Under her, I arched back and thrust up trying to stretch her a bit. And then, after a moment, she started moving with me, dancing her hips over mine. Though she was on top of me, I could feel her slightness, how tiny she really was compared to me. I loved it. Back when I had still been sick, I'd felt small and hunched over without realizing it. The moment Mara had patched up my aura, protecting me, I'd realized how broken I really was and had fought like hell to not go back. Now, I could visualize my surroundings in both the physical and the metaphysical. With Mara's help I learned to how to read the colors and know which I needed to protect myself from. I'd started eating again, and then had approached Derek and Xavier to help me gain my physical strength back.

Larger than I had been before my death and resurrection, I practically dwarfed Shelby. She was smaller and more delicate than before. It was easier to remember that she was a woman, though tough and pushy, still a woman. Emotional, delicate. In need of emotional support and love. She'd barged her way into my life, had brought me back from death, and given me two beautiful babies. And while I was busy getting my crap together, she took care of them. At first, with my healing, I'd lose energy too fast and pass out from exhaustion. She had had to tell them that daddy was too tired to play. Now, I was strong again. Strong enough to roll around on the floor after working in the shop with Embry all day and play with them until dinner was ready and bedtime came.

She was the best thing that had happened to me after my father's death so long ago. And now, I had two children of my own. If I had to do it all again, including my death, I would.

Reaching up, I cupped her face and brought her lips to mine.

"Seth," she whispered against my mouth. Her breathing was harsh and broken, and her body trembled above mine while I continued to gently make love to her.

"Yes, baby," I whispered back, stroking my hands down the smooth skin of her back. "Come for me."

If I didn't come before her, she had a tendency to hold off her own orgasm, putting her through more pain than pleasure. Anticipation was good but only in foreplay. When so close to the finish line, the pressure was just too intense.

Stomach quivering, she squinched her eyes shut tight.

I ran a finger between her brows. "Baby, just let go. I'll follow. Promise."

With the next roll of her hips, she cried out, her nails digging into my chest as her body clenched around mine. I followed not a moment later with my own release pulsing into her.

Once I was sated and breathing hard, I held her against me, the two of us just lying there in the moonlight flooding the room. Rubbing her back, I stared out the window.

After Piper's birth, we'd both decided that two was enough. Shelby had gotten her tubes tied and I'd had Carlisle fix me up. It hadn't really been that hard of a decision. If they took after my side, they could imprint on humans, age with them, and then die. If that happened, we didn't want to get pregnant again to replace the child or children we lost. Because we both agreed that it would be like replacing them.

"Seth?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm scared for Nessie."

Sighing, I held her against me. "I know. Me, too. But Cricket said that she and the babies will make it through. We have to trust that because I don't want to think about other options."

"You really love her, don't you?"

I shrugged under her. "Of course I do. Those of us closest to Jake helped raise her. She's like my little sister."

Her hands played little designs over my chest, fingers flicking over my nipple. "You really think they'll make it through? Be honest."

Tilting my head, I forced her to look at me. "Again, of course I do. Nessie is strong, even stronger with Jacob close by. And her kids? She'd never do anything to jeopardize them. Not to mention, you. She won't leave you. She loves you."

Not saying anything else, she moved off me and went to clean up before crawling into bed. I followed and wrapped her up in my arms before falling asleep to her scent in my nose.

**December**

**RPOV**

Boys. Two of them. I wasn't really surprised by that fact. Neither was Jacob. And now, a week before Christmas, I was huge. Cricket's estimations of when I would finally go into labor were becoming clearer the closer we got to the date. Definitely February. She'd also been right that my blood intake increased to where it was all I drank. Jacob and Carlisle practically had to shove water down my throat to make sure I stayed hydrated.

Right now, I was up on the top floor in the cinema area resting back against Jacob in one of the large circular chairs. Jules and Will were resting on either side of us, their ears pressed to my stomach. They squealed in delight whenever one of the boys moved or kicked. Honestly, I didn't know how human women did pregnancy with two or more babies inside. My ankles were so swollen that they practically didn't exist anymore and walking hurt so bad that I rarely moved. If I didn't have to go anywhere, I didn't. Jacob, Dad, or one of my uncles didn't mind carrying me. And I was the first to admit that I was a whiny pain this time around. At least I gave the guys something to do. Jacob had started showering with me to make sure I got clean. He'd even learned to shave me, which was both embarrassing and hilarious at the same time. Once I grew to the equivalent of the end of my pregnancy with Will or Jules, Jacob had started doing everything for me. Though I wasn't on official bed rest, I knew that everybody would freak out if I started doing too much if I was able. My husband had made sure to let me know that he didn't mind waiting on me hand and foot. He preferred that I stay down to read a book, watch movies or play games with the kids.

"You okay?" Jacob asked softly in my ear.

I nodded, cuddling back into his chest. His arms wrapped around me, hands resting on my stomach to feel his sons kicking up a storm. We hadn't even touch on names even though we knew they were boys. Neither of us wanted family names, but we wanted something not so normal.

Sighing, I looked down to watch Jules and Will grinning with their hands on me like their father's. The two of them had grown even more. Everybody was working with the kids on their speaking skills. They were starting to progress past what they had been. The more time they spent watching movies, being read to, or being talked to, the more they learned. Will was well on his way to reading; Jules potty training. My babies were growing so fast.

"So, what did Embry call for earlier?"

Jacob kissed my temple before resting his cheek against mine. "He said that he and Tricia had a talk. Also that he would have called sooner but he was busy with the shop."

"They had a talk about what?"

"Her wanting to change. Apparently, they talked around the same time that we left to come here. They'd argued about it before she won the battle with him. But he got her to agree to try to approach her parents once more to see if she could really give them up in case they were willing to try to have a relationship with her."

"And if they do?"

I felt him shrug around me. "Honestly, I don't know. I do know she'll want the change no matter what. But she might stay human a little longer if her parents will still speak to her. Embry told her that the relationship wouldn't last if they found out that she was infected."

I nodded. "That's totally-," I broke off when Jacob lifted his arm up, probably to scratch his jaw, and my mouth watered at the taste.

My head snapped to the side, nostrils flaring, scenting him. Suddenly, I could hear the blood under his skin, so close to the surface. I was parched and crazed with thirst as if I hadn't been sucking down blood all day. His hand moved down again to rest on my stomach, but it didn't make it. One second he was moving, the next I had his wrist wrapped tightly in my grasp.

"Ow! Ness, what-," His sentence trailed off when he caught a look at my hunger-crazed eyes. "Edward," he said calm but stern. "Come get the kids."

Two seconds later, Dad was there trying to coerce Jules and Will to go play outside. He gave us a look before herding them down the stairs.

"Nessie," Jacob said slowly, but he didn't try to get free of my grasp. "What is it?"

His pulse jumped under the thin skin of his wrist. My stomach rumbled and the babies settled down as if they knew Momma was having issues and didn't want to spook me.

Swallowing hard through the sandpaper that my mouth had suddenly become, I croaked, "I'm thirsty…and you smell delicious."

His breath came out on a shudder as if the thought of me feeding from him was something erotic. "But you've never fed from me before," he whispered.

"Well, I want to now."

"Are you sure?"

I nodded. "It's like when I'm hunting. I get the scent of my prey and suddenly I'm in predator mode, fully locked onto that scent. My mouth waters in anticipation." The entire time I spoke, my eyes never left his wrist and pounding thrum under that skin.

Now, his breath whispered across my neck as he pressed his lips to my skin. "Then take what you want. Everything of me belongs to you."

I swallowed hard again before I looked up at him. He nodded. "You're not venomous. You won't hurt me."

Before I could even think more about it, I sank my teeth into his wrist. He hissed before relaxing back against the chair. I moaned at the taste of his blood pouring down my throat. His hand cupped my cheek as I fed from the wrist. Mmm, so good. So hot. Sizzling energy and heat flooded my body, and the babies fluttered in a flurry of movement. It was like all the blood I'd been drinking had been the watered down version of a shake. Jacob's blood was the rich, thick, filling shake that made you groan in bliss.

I wasn't exactly sure on when, but at some point, I stopped seeing Jacob as my husband and mate. He became the prey I had mentioned. Going up on my knees, I gripped his forearm, wrapping myself around it and drank deeply from his wrist. Not once did he complain, and in the back of my mind, I knew it was wrong. He should have been fighting me. I was taking too much, but I couldn't stop.

Luckily, someone else intervened.

"Nessie!"

Someone gripped my hands and pried them away from Jacob.

"Nessie, stop! You're killing him!"

Not even that reached me. A hand wrapped under my chin, a thumb and fingers pressing against my jaws. The pressure forced me to let go of Jake, and the person hauled me backward away from him. My back hit something hard, hands gripping my upper arms as I snarled, trying to get back to my meal.

Shelby's face appeared in my line of sight while Carlisle moved in on Jacob.

"Jacob? Jacob, can you hear me?" He turned to my father. "He's lost too much blood, and his wrist is still gushing."

Shelby's hands cupped my face while my body struggled against the hold someone had on me. "Nessie, sweetie, please. Calm down! The babies!"

"Move."

Mara appeared before me a moment later after she shoved Shelby out of the way. Her hands were warm on my face, one cupping my chin, the other over my eyes.

"Sleep, Nessie. Sleep."

The last thing I saw was Jacob's very still body draped over the chair, spread out. His eyes were closed, and he wasn't responding.

My last thought was, _what have I done?_

**CadenPOV**

Ahhh, the house was quiet. Mara had been gone for a month and my house was my own. Well, Leah's house anyway. Mara was a wonderful woman now that I'd gotten to know her but she could be demanding when trying to get someone to do as she asks. I wasn't the kind of man to take commands very well which was hindering my ability to heal. She was trying to get me to the right mental state before we let loose my memories. And this break was what we needed to recharge ourselves even though I worried over the reason she had to leave in the first place just like everyone else. Nessie and Jacob had become family over the years I'd been here, and I prayed that they made it safely through this current storm of theirs.

Standing at the stove, I flipped the pancake to make sure it was done. Leah and I had had a long night and had decided on brunch. It wasn't until I turned to slide it onto the stack I'd already made that I saw Leah walk into the doorway between the kitchen and the living room. A phone was clutched to her chest and her face was ashen.

Turning off the stove, I moved toward her. "Leah? Luv, what's wrong?"

She seemed sad and scared at the same time, anxious even. "That was Seth," she said softly. "Nessie almost killed Jake."

I must have heard her wrong. Tilting her chin up, I made her look at me. "She what?"

"You heard me. She almost killed Jacob."

So much for my hearing problem.

"Seth said that for some reason she was craving his blood, and she just wouldn't let go of him. She took so much. Mara had to put her under a sleeping spell just to calm her down after Seth pulled her off. He said it was like she was hunting. Jake's wrist is shredded."

I pulled her into my arms against my chest. "Is he alright?"

Her arms wrapped around me tightly. "Still unconscious, but stable. Apparently, Nessie's still out, too."

"Other than this, how is she?"

"Huge. That's what Seth says. She drinks blood all day. Cricket says she's definitely having them in February. What would make her crave Jacob's blood? I mean, she used to bite him all the time when she was a baby, but as far as I know, she's never actually drunk from him. She's not venomous, so it won't hurt him."

I shrugged. "Maybe his blood has more nutrients than the animal blood and she can sense it? I honestly don't know." Letting go of her, I gripped her hand and tugged her toward the table. "Here, sit down. The food's ready."

She sat down heavily and put her head in her hands. "Man, I thought the danger to us, to Jake, was over. It's so hard knowing that this time it was Nessie. She loves him so much."

Setting her plate in front of her, I said, "And he loves her. That's why he didn't stop her. She was taking what she needed from him and he let her. I'd have done the same for you."

Surprise lit up her chocolate eyes. "Really? I've always felt like you would never let anyone threaten your life, no matter what."

Sighing, I sat next to her. "Leah, luv, as much as it pains me to say this, you would be right if it were anyone other than you."

"Even Alora?"

I nodded without hesitation. "Even Alora. It's extremely hard to explain how I feel for you."

She shrugged, cutting up a pancake. "Well, I suppose it's not too different when you could still up and leave since you're an omega." Her tone was nonchalant and honest, as if she had no illusions that she was truly that important to me.

Gritting my teeth, I reached over and lowered her fork. She looked up in surprise. "Leah, don't you ever think that I will leave you."

"But Mara said-,"

"I don't care what she said. I'm not like the others. I need you. And you need me. I will never leave. Even if you make me leave the house, I will stay close, just in case."

Eyes filling with tears, she brought my hand to her lips so she could kiss my knuckles. "I love you so much. And I've been so scared ever since she said that. I mean, I would have let you go if it's what you wanted, but I've been praying that I'm wrong. Every night, I just wait for you to say you've had enough, pack up, and leave."

"Never, Leah. I will never make that mistake. All those others who leave their true mates are idiots. They have a chance for a loving home. I'll never understand why they would give that up. And I won't be one of them. I will never leave you. Ever."

She rested her cheek against the back of my hand and closed her eyes in sweet relief. I'd had absolutely no idea that that's what she'd been thinking all this time. No idea that she thought she meant so little to me. That I could just get up and leave her. She was as tortured over her past as I was over mine. And seeing that relief let me know that she needed me, that I helped her, and that she loved me very much. How could I ever leave that? My home?

I squeezed her fingers before pulling on it gently. "Come here."

The tears still shimmered in her eyes when she opened them. When I tugged her hand again, she stood up and came to me. I pulled her into my lap and then mixed her food onto my plate.

"What are you doing?"

"What you need is for me to show you how much I love you. When wolves share their food with their mates, it means that they consider that wolf a mate for life. It may not mean much to you but I've never shared a plate with anyone. And no, not even Alora. And I've never fed Alora the way that I want to feed you from my hand. It's a level of respect and reverence that males show of their highest affection."

"But you loved her."

"I did. But as I've told you, I knew she wasn't my true mate. I never felt the urge to share with her or feed her. She was never aware of those customs. I never told her. She didn't want to know anything about the wolves because I wasn't part of a pack and therefore not a member of pack politics. All I did was run the woods around our house in wolf form to burn off the energy and then went back home. But you're different. I _want _you to know because I want to do this for you. I want you to know how much I love you and how much I need you. This isn't a one way street where you think that I mean more to you than you to me. You could never understand how I feel for you. Yes, sometimes I want to give up, but then I look at you and I know I'm home. I'm where I'm supposed to be and that I can trust the people around me. I can trust you to hold me up when I'm fragile. And that means the world to me. I can be a wolf around you. Alora didn't mind what I was, but she was scared of me deep down. I could smell it. You've never been scared of me. You stand up to me and force me to let you take care of me. I've never had someone care so much for me that they want to tear down all the walls I've built around me. I won't ever give you up. Not without one hell of a fight."

She teared up again. While she swiped at her eyes, I reached forward and plucked a strawberry from our plate and held it up to her. Laughing, she leaned forward and wrapped her mouth around it, lips brushing my fingertips. Naturally, some of the juice escaped and I couldn't stop myself from leaning forward to lick it from her skin in one long stroke. She shivered before feeding me a bite of pancake. I licked the syrup and butter from her fingers.

And that's how we spent the next hour or so, gently feeding and petting each other. Loving each other.

Just after we finished cleaning up, the doorbell rang. Leah called for Walker and his family to come in. Haleigh had started showing signs of wanting to shift. Walker was unsure how to help her and didn't want to see his precious daughter go through the pain. So, I'd offered to help her. The young of the pack had to be pushed gently over the edge, nothing like the way I'd forced Walker to shift. They came into the kitchen a moment later.

"Uncle Caden!"

I was drying my hands when Haleigh flung herself into my arms, wrapping her arms around my waist. I was getting better being around kids. Mara had made it mandatory for me to spend time with the young males in Walker's pack. I'd never admit it to her, but it was quite refreshing.

"Hello, luv. How are you feeling?"

"Okay, I guess. I think I found my trigger like you taught me."

I looked down at her. "Yeah? What is it?"

She looked back over her shoulder where Walker and Christa were talking to Leah. No doubt she was telling them about Seth's phone call.

Haleigh turned back to me. "Someone hurting my mom and dad. Every time I think about Tristan hurting Dad-," she shuddered in my arms before a small growl escaped her.

Walker was right. Her wolf was close to the surface.

"Easy, luv. We'll get you taken care of."

"It's going to hurt, isn't it?"

For a nine year old, she was very smart. Of course, that's the way it was with young who were born into the packs. They developed faster. Just look at Brayden and Piper born to Shelby. Once Haleigh shifted for the first time, her body would follow the development. And that's what scared Walker other than the pain he knew she'd go through. Her pain would be less than his, which was something to celebrate. Walker was terrified of her growing too fast and mating too early, but none of the males close to her would allow that to happen. We were all keeping an eye on Garrett and how he watched her.

I rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head. "Hopefully not as bad as mine or your father's."

"Why would it be different?"

Smiling, I rubbed her cheek with my thumb. "Because you were born into the pack. Your father and I were infected. It's easier for those who were born into it."

"I'm scared, Uncle Caden."

"Of course you are. And it's perfectly natural. I was scared, too, with my first time."

Her sapphire eyes widened. "Really?"

"Really."

She grinned up at me as a knock sounded on the door. Walker and I shared a frown before Leah went to answer it.

"Garrett?"

"Hey, Ms. Leah."

"What are you doing here?"

Haleigh let go of me to follow me and Walker to the front door. I opened it wider to see the fourteen year old boy standing there. The moment he saw both me and Walker, he shrank back before catching himself and forcing his body to straighten. I wanted show encouragement since he was training up to be alpha, but I didn't. I knew what he was here for and I had been hugging her a moment ago. Garrett was every bit as attractive as his parents with bright, pale green eyes, sandy blond and black hair, and strong features.

"Garrett!" Haleigh said with a smile coming between us. She hugged him. "What are you doing here? I thought you were playing soccer with the guys."

He smiled down at her, pale eyes warm. "I was but Brent told me what was going on. I was hoping I could help."

She brightened instantly. "Really? That would be great." She turned to Walker. "Is it okay, Daddy?"

Walker's eyes were narrowed, jaw clenched as he looked from them to me. "What do you think?"

I shrugged, impressed with Garrett's understanding. "It is normal to have an older child in the same age range to relate. Besides, they're close enough to know _how _to relate to each other."

"I don't mean any harm, Mr. Walker. I just want to help."

I leaned toward Walker. "It would be good experience for him."

Walker gave me a look that told me just how much he cared that this experience would help him, but he gave in at the end. "Fine. Let's get this over with."

Leah and I exchanged a look before we all trooped out and around the house toward the woods in the back. Christa and Leah shared a smile when they caught Walker glaring at Garrett as he followed behind him and Haleigh. Garret was more enthralled of her than I originally thought.

"Garrett?"

He looked over his shoulder. "Yes, sir?"

"How old are you, son?"

To my surprise, his cheeks flushed. "Fifteen, sir."

Walker's eyes widened angrily. He looked back and forth between the boy and his daughter.

Garrett saw it, and talked fast. "I'm too engrossed in my studies for anything else, sir. I prefer to wait." His eyes slid to Haleigh who was humming and skipping ahead of them.

Walker's eyes went from anger to respectful suspicion. "Wait for how long?"

Shrugging, Garrett hung back to walk beside Walker. He shoved his hands down into his pockets. "I'll wait until the time is right and the female is ready. Father doesn't agree. He thinks I should choose next year when I turn sixteen."

"But?"

He sighed. "But I don't want to mate for power or alliances. I want to mate for love. My parents learned to love each other. They were promised to each other before they were even born, or so I was told. That's not what I want." The teenager looked to the alpha. "I know why you watch me so much. You see how I look at Haleigh."

"And you know she's too young," Walker said factually.

Garrett nodded. "Yes, I do. I'll never hurt her. It's just, I can sense her maturity. It's innate in us, especially those of us who were born to it. Mating at sixteen has been bred in us. My mother mated my father when she was thirteen. He was sixteen. But I really do like Haleigh. She's. . .please forgive me for being forward, but she's lovely."

Haleigh giggled up ahead where she was running with Christa and Leah. We all turned to watch them play in Leah's backyard.

"Mr. Walker, Haleigh is one of the best friends I've ever had. All the other females in my pack, older and younger, try to woo me. I've never had a true friend who was female. It's quite refreshing. I care for her. Deeply. Hurting her would hurt me, and I won't do it. No matter what my hormones or wolf want."

After watching his women for a few more minutes, Walker clapped a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Just make sure you watch yourself. She may not be my daughter biologically, but she's still my baby girl."

Obviously surprised, Garrett blinked up at Walker. "You mean I can still hang out with her?"

Walker sighed and looked at me. I shrugged. "Up to you, alpha," I said.

He turned back to Garrett. "Yeah, you can still hang out with her."

His grin said it all. "Thank you."

Haleigh ran up to us and grabbed my hands. "Come on, Uncle Caden. I'm ready to try."

We chuckled.

"I'm coming, luv."

"Yeah, but you're so _slow_!"

Grinning, I looked up at Leah. She was laughing and relaxed. Over the years, she'd become wonderful with all the children. I'd watched the iciness I had first met melt. Leah was a different person than she had been. She was happy and full of laughs and love. Watching her with Haleigh and Garrett, I realized how wonderful a mother she'd be.

As I was dragged to the middle of the field by this determined girl, a sense of my own determination crashed over me.

It was time to get over my issues.

It was time to move on.

It was time to give my mate the family she deserved.

**The Next Day…**

**JPOV**

White static met me on the way back to consciousness.

"Carlisle, he's surfacing."

Something squeezed my hand. "Come on, son. Come back to us."

Billy.

Instead of a smooth swallow, I coughed before opening my eyes. The room was bright with warm sunshine. I was in the dayroom-slash-library in the hospital bed. The bed was tilted up so that I was reclining and could see Carlisle and Edward studying the machines next to my head. Billy was on my other side grinning up at me. The one person I wanted to see wasn't here.

"Ah, Jacob. Good of you to come back," Carlisle said, appearing in my line of sight.

"What happened?"

The three men shared a look.

"What do you remember?" Carlisle asked, taking out a penlight to shine in my eyes.

Squinting against the light, I tried to think about what had happened just before I passed out. All I could really remember was the bliss of Nessie's mouth sucking on my wrist. My hand jerked with the memory and pain shot up my arm, making me hiss.

"Easy, Jake," Billy said. "She tore you up pretty good."

"Where is she?" Everything was coming back crystal clear, and though I felt a little weak, I didn't feel the need for all the tubes and wires. Something told me I needed to see her, to know that she was okay. For some reason, the image of my blood killing her wouldn't leave me alone.

Edward came over to smirk at me. "She's up in your room. Perfectly healthy."

Sitting up, I pulled the IV out of my arm.

"Jake, what are you doing? You need to rest." Billy tried to push me back, but I evaded his hands.

"I need to see my wife."

Carlisle stepped up, stopping me from swinging my legs over. He put a hand on my shoulder. "You need to rest, Jacob. You lost a lot of blood."

I glared at him. "I don't care if I lost every ounce and now I'm a vampire. I need to see my wife."

Rolling back in the wheelchair, Billy sighed. "Give it up, doc. You won't win when he's like this. Trust me; I've tried."

After a long moment of staring at each other, Carlisle moved out of the way. Standing up took a second to get used to. The room tilted just bit before righting itself. Once the world was solid under me, I went for mine and Nessie's room, which was on the second floor. But I got stopped in the kitchen.

"Daddy!" both Will and Jules yelled from the table where they were eating lunch. They scrambled from the table and ran straight for me.

Kneeling down, I hugged them both. God, I loved them. Leaning back, I brushed their hair out of their faces. "Hey, guys. Have you two been good?"

They both nodded earnestly.

"Good. I love you."

"Love you, too, Daddy." Over the past month, both of them had learned to use their speech better. They were growing up so fast.

"Daddy, where's Mommy?" Jules asked.

I frowned at her, but said, "I don't know, baby. Why don't you both go finish eating and I'll go find her, okay?"

They nodded again before hugging me. "Okay, Daddy."

Shelby came into the kitchen as they settled back at the table.

"Why did my daughter just ask me where her mother is?"

Shelby sighed heavily. "After she woke up from Mara's sleeping spell, she remembered what she did. She's locked herself in your room since last night. She'll only eat or drink if we leave the plates and cups outside the door and walk away. We've been trying to get her to come out to see the kids, but she's scared she'll hurt them like she did you."

Growling, I went straight for the stairs. As I neared the doors to the room I shared with Nessie, I heard voices inside the closed double doors.

"Nessie, please. They're your kids. You'd never hurt them."

"Yeah," Nessie snarled back. "Just like I swore I'd never hurt my husband! Oh wait-I nearly _killed _him! I actually would have if Seth hadn't pulled me off of him. No. Just tell them I'm still resting. They're safer with you since that's all you're good for. Shouldn't you have seen this? I mean, that _is _why you're here, Cricket."

Shock momentarily stunned me. I'd never heard Nessie be that nasty to someone. When the shock died down, anger replaced it. I tried the handle, which was locked, before I pounded on the door. "Renesmee Black! Open this door."

Silence. And then it opened just long enough for Cricket to come barreling out as if she were shoved before it closed and locked again. I just managed to catch her.

Cricket straightened up and brushed off her clothes. "Great. Nice going, Kujo. You upset her even more."

"Did you hear how she was talking to you?"

She pretended to clean out her ear with her finger before looking at the nail. "Actually, yes I did. Just had my hearing aid battery replaced. Nice and loud."

I rolled my eyes. "And you're not mad?"

"Uh, no. Why would I be? She was right. Not to mention, hormonally imbalanced what with the two kids you impregnated her with. Moody is beyond an understatement, your alphaness. Any woman would be that vicious when she's literally the size of a whale."

There was a thud on the door as if Nessie had thrown something against it that made us both jump.

"I heard that!"

Quirking an eyebrow, I gave Cricket a look. "_I _upset her? Nice going, insect." Shaking my head, I pounded on the door again. "Nessie, open this door!"

"No."

Great. Now I had to go all Beauty and the Beast on her.

"Open it or I'll break it down." Nothing. "Come on, Ness, you know I will." Silence. "It'll scare the kids. Just open it a little so that I can see you. I won't come in."

After a long moment, the locks clicked and the door opened just a crack. Nessie stared up at me with tear-filled eyes. I wanted nothing more than to pull her into my arms, but I'd promised her I wouldn't come inside.

"You're okay," she whispered.

I nodded and lifted up my wrist. "A little tender, but perfectly fine." I reached through just to stroke her cheek but she pulled away. I sighed. "Why aren't you down with the kids?"

She shook her head. "I can't be around them, Jake. I nearly killed you. What's to say I won't have another craving and go after them? They are half your blood."

"Nessie, you'd never hurt them."

She snorted. "Yeah, right. Now you sound like Cricket."

"Good," I said forcefully. "She's right."

"Ha!" Cricket shouted triumphantly behind me. I'd forgotten she was there. "Score one for the bug!"

Ness and I both ignored her.

"I'm a monster, Jacob."

I scowled. "What the hell are you talking about?"

She snorted. "I attacked you, nearly drained you dry. I'm surprised my eyes aren't red."

Glaring at her, I said, "Don't even start that, Ness. You're not a monster. All it was was a craving. We both knew that, going into having kids, it wouldn't be normal pregnancies. Seth got there in time to pull you off me. Now we know what not to do. Don't start this crap."

Her reaction was to clench her jaw and purse her lips.

The room beyond her was dark, the curtains drawn and lights off. "What have you been doing?"

She shrugged. "Sleeping and pacing mostly. And drinking gallons of blood." Her eyes dropped from mine when she said, "Craving yours," softly. And then they shot back up to mine. "Don't you dare say-,"

"That you can have it?" I gave her steady eyes. "You can."

"Jacob-,"

I held up a finger as I got an idea. "Hold on. I'll be right back."

Darting back down the stairs, I grabbed a glass from the kitchen before going back to Carlisle. "Slit my wrist."

He blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Nessie's craving my blood, which means she needs it, right? She needs what I can give her."

He and Edward shared a look. "Jacob, you've already lost a lot. Another glassful would not be wise."

"So don't fill it up. Maybe all she needs is a taste, like Will and Jules. Maybe the craving is from the boys."

Carlisle frowned. "If that was the case, Jacob, she wouldn't have nearly bled you dry."

"Not necessarily. The initial taste could have been the babies. But the rest was her. We're in love. She's a vampire with a mate that's not human and doesn't die easy. She's only barely tasted my blood before. What if this craving set off a new taste bud for her?" I lifted the glass. "Maybe, if we limit her access to it, it will help her control the craving for it. Therefore, she'll let me near her again." When neither of them said anything, I continued. "At this rate, she'll keep herself locked in that room for another month and a half until she goes into labor. Will and Jules need to see her. Never mind me. I'm worried about them. They need their mother."

Carlisle sighed the sigh that I knew meant he'd given up. I unwrapped the bandage around my wrist. He came at me with scalpel and a look that told me he really didn't like this plan. I didn't care. As long as Nessie got what she needed, I'd endure that look for the next twenty years. I placed the glass under my wrist as he put the knife to the raw wound. The skin split easily, allowing the blood to seep down into the glass. Once it was filled a little less than halfway, Carlisle bandaged me back up before I took off, calling thanks over my shoulder. Truthfully, losing that little bit of blood left me weaker than before, but I didn't say anything.

Nessie had closed and locked the door again.

I knocked. "Baby, it's me. You can open it."

When she did, I held up the glass. "Here. Fresh."

Her eyes widened. "What did you do?"

"I had Carlisle reopen the wound just enough to put some in here. Take it. It's what you want."

She shook her head. "Jacob, you're actually pale. I can't take more from you."

I gave her a look. "So you're just going to let this go to waste? It's not like I can put it back in my body. Take it or I'll have to throw it out."

The woman actually growled at me before snatching the glass out of my hand. She swallowed the contents in two large gulps, and when she was done, her eyes stayed closed in bliss. I could actually feel her mood change, feel the energy pulse through her. It was like she was shaking off a second, nasty skin to reveal my beautiful wife once more. Her skin blushed healthily and the dark circles under her eyes vanished.

Sighing contentedly, she opened the door a little more.

"Better?" I asked.

Pressing her lips in a tight line, she nodded.

Testing my luck, I moved into the room and took her into my arms. She let me, wrapping hers around my waist. "It's okay, baby. That's how we'll do it from now on, alright?"

She nodded before looking over at Cricket. "I'm sorry for what I said. It was mean and unnecessary."

Cricket crossed her arms over her chest. "Not really. I should have been watching more closely. But thanks for the apology anyway. I'm going to go check on the kidlets and let them know Momma Bear will be down soon." Before Ness could protest she was already down the stairs.

I held her tightly. "No, Ness. You need to go spend time with them. Jules actually asked me where you were. That's not right, and you know it."

She pulled back to look up at me and the fear in her eyes clenched my gut. "I don't want to be alone with you or the kids. Please. I don't trust myself. The glass helped, but I can still feel the craving underneath."

I stroked her back. "Okay. Half the house will be around us. They want to see you. And I know Carlisle wants to check on you. I'll have Mara stand by just in case."

"Actually," a voice said behind us. "I have a tea that can curb the craving."

We turned to see her in the hallway with a steaming cup of something.

"Why didn't you give to her earlier?" I asked.

"I tried."

"Sorry," Nessie said, reaching for the cup. "Thank you, Mara."

"You're welcome. I can help you, Nessie, but you have to let me know what's happening."

"I'm scared."

Mara's smile was gentle. "I understand that. But that's why we're all here, to help you. You have to let us."

Nessie nodded before drinking the tea and handing the cup back.

"Come on," I said pulling her out of the bedroom. "Our kids want to see their mother."

Tiredly, Nessie followed. Her belly was huge, bigger than it had been the day before.

I turned to Mara before we got to the stairs. "Could my blood cause the babies to grow faster? Have you ever seen a female wolf crave the blood of her mate?"

To my surprise, she nodded. "Actually, now that you mention it, it's entirely possible. Some females become pregnant in their wolf forms, so they choose to stay in wolf form through the pregnancy. If powerful enough, the female can change to human to carry out the pregnancy. But usually in those that stay wolves, they give birth to litters, sometimes two to three cubs. It's very common for the female wolf to crave her mate's blood, especially if he chooses not to stay in wolf form with her."

"Why is that?"

When we reached the head of the stairs, I scooped Nessie up into my arms so she wouldn't have to navigate them.

Mara shrugged as she walked down beside me. "No one really knows. And I didn't think about the similarity because neither you nor Nessie are Children of the Moon. And unless she's been unfaithful, neither are your children."

"Well, I wasn't," Nessie snapped.

Mara held her hands up in surrender.

I chuckled. "Baby, I know. I never even entertained the thought. Besides, who would it have been, and when would you have had the time?"

She relaxed in my arms. When we got to the bottom of the stairs, I set her carefully on her feet. She had to take a minute to orient, her hand gripping my forearm. The other was on her very big belly.

After a few deep breaths, she nodded. "Okay. I'm good. Uncle Emmett? Seth?"

Immediately, Emmett was standing beside us, grinning.

Seth came in from the kitchen. "You rang?"

Nessie gripped my hand. "I don't want to be left alone with anyone I can hurt. Uncle Em, you're the fastest. And Seth, you pulled me away from Jake the first time. I trust you to do it again."

Seth nodded. "Of course." He jerked his head toward the kitchen. "Your kids are wanting to see you."

Nessie was so scared of herself that it shined in her eyes. Her hands absently rubbed her beach ball belly as she stared, terrified, at the kitchen door. "I don't want to hurt them," she whispered, more to herself than anyone else.

"You won't. They may be half of me, but they're also half of you. Besides, they're _your kids_. Your instinct is to protect, not hurt."

Taking another deep breath, she nodded and moved for the door.

I knew the moment Jules and Will saw her because they both screamed, "Mommy!"

Shelby and I had to catch them before they mauled her so she could slowly kneel down with Seth and Emmett's help.

I knelt down beside Nessie, but held them both back. "Easy, guys. Remember, you have to be gentle with Mommy, okay? She doesn't feel well."

"Okay, Daddy." But their eyes were all for her.

Beside me, she was tearing up as she reached out to brush Jules's unruly curls back. "Hi, baby."

"Hi, Mommy," she said as she reached for her mother.

Nessie hugged her tightly. She held her other arm out for Will and then kissed them both. "I love you. Both of you, so much."

"Love you, too, Mommy."

She pulled back, wiping her eyes. Clearing her throat, she asked, "So, what have you two been doing?"

"Pi'tures!"

I helped Nessie stand while they ran for the table. Brayden and Piper were sitting there, too. There were a couple boxes of crayons and colored pencils stationed between the four of them. Nessie hugged Shelby while Will and Jules climbed into their chairs to hold up their pictures.

"Have they been good?" I asked.

She nodded and smiled. "They always are." Her bright green gaze went back to her best friend. "You're not a monster, sis. We're not human. Mishaps happens, alright?"

Nessie nodded and hugged her once more.

"Look, Mommy! Look!"

Nessie pulled back to look at the pictures. Jules had attempted a flower, or maybe a star. Will's talent was a little better in that I could clearly tell that he'd drawn a car and a dog that was probably supposed to be a wolf since he'd never really seen a dog before.

"Here, Mommy," Jules said, handing over her picture.

Nessie took it with a grin. "Can I have it?"

Jules nodded, curls flying. She was rummaging in the crayon box. "Yeah-huh."

"It's really pretty, baby. I'll put it on the refrigerator so other people can see it, too."

"Otay."

"Dis one, too, Mommy," Will said, handing her his picture of the wolf.

Gasping, Nessie took it. "I can have this one, too?"

He nodded enthusiastically.

"Thank you, baby!" She kissed them both before pinning the pictures on the fridge.

Then it was Brayden's and Piper's turns to give their pictures to Seth and Shelby. They pinned them to the huge dry-erase-slash-cork board on the cork portion so as not to disturb all the important reminders and notes on the white board. By the end of this trip, the kitchen would be covered in children's drawings. Something told me that nobody would mind. They brought a cheer to a place that was clouded with worry and anxiousness. We could all use a little cheerful emotions now until the babies were born. Everyone here was worried about Nessie and the boys despite Cricket's assurances that the three of them would pull through. I knew that Carlisle was perilously close to slapping his granddaughter with bed rest. And I was perfectly okay with that. Movies, reading, and napping with the kids was perfectly enough for her right now. Watching her interacting with them now, sitting down to color with them, I could see how much it helped. They constantly showered her with love and kisses, hoping to help her feel better. Even Brayden and Piper joined in, wanting Aunt Nessie to feel better. We'd explained the best we could that they would have to be easy around her because she was "sick". That was the only way we knew to get them to understand.

So far, they'd all been perfectly gentle around her. They'd learned not to be too rowdy or loud when in the same room. In fact, if they came into a room while she was lying down, they'd cuddle up around her and take turns feeling her tummy with their hands or press their ears to the massive bump. Sometimes, all five of them would fall asleep with the kids curled around her. We all tried to get her to eat, sleep, and drink as much as she could before the babies came. Over the past month, Mara had tucked herself away into her room so she could experiment with her spells and potions. Pops and sizzles would echo through the house, sometimes accompanied by faint _booms_. We all learned not to question it after Cricket said it was normal and kind of like chemistry.

The afternoon passed with me, Seth, Shelby, Ness, and Billy coloring and painting with the kids. Most of the Cullens had gone to the mainland to hunt. Only Carlisle and Esme remained behind just in case something happened. When everyone else came back and Edward was here with his medical knowledge, they would go off to hunt. Emmett had passed on Nessie's request to Esme so he could go with Rosalie.

Eventually, we ended up outside in the dimming sunlight. Nessie and I sat in the beach chairs watching Seth and Shelby chase the kids in the waves. Esme and Carlisle were cuddled up underneath the leaves of a large plant. Billy was parked out on the dock in the water with Cricket and Mara watching over him

Reaching over, I gripped her hand. "Feeling better?"

Her fingers gripped my hand. "A little. I'm still scared, Jake. Nothing's going to change that."

Bringing her hand up to my lips, I kissed her knuckles. "Hey, I now know what to expect. We know not to let you sink your teeth into me, at least not while you're pregnant. The catastrophe was avoided and we can prepare for you craving my blood. We'll be alright, Ness. We'll get through this. We always do. Please, just try to relax and enjoy yourself before the boys get here. I'll take care of whatever you need. That's my job while you grow our kids. That's all I want you to worry about. The rest of us are here for you, not vacation, and they know that. Let us do what we can. Can you do that? For me?"

Her expression melted. Pulling her hand out of my grasp, she cupped my cheek. "What would I do without you?"

It was my turn to snort. "You wouldn't be going through all this crap if it wasn't for me."

She smiled. "That's true, but I wouldn't have two beautiful toddlers, two more babies on the way, or a wonderful family in your dad and sisters. I might be scared of my cravings and of the coming labor, but Jacob, I wouldn't trade my life for another one even if I had the choice. I'd pick you and my babies every single time."

I gave her a famous Jacob grin. "And you once wondered why I love you."

Gripping her hand again, I played my fingers over her wedding ring. Together, we sat watching our kids chase after Seth in his wolf form while the sun set over the crystal water.

* * *

**Well, then...I don't blame Ness for craving that man's blood. I'd crave it, too. I love Jacob! So how do we feel about Walker, Garrett, and Haleigh? Caden and Leah? Let me know! Love you guys!xoxoxoxo**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey, guys! I know I've been gone for a while, however, I was deciding how to write all this. Now I do have to put a WARNING on this one. It's very sad in two of our POVs. Caden's is especially rough. It goes into detail about his past so please do not read this in class! I cried, and I know some of you can get emotional as witnessed by Seth's death and resurrection. But also, there's a bunch of happy stuff. One, maybe two more chapters left!**

***Disclaimer***

**Please Enjoy!**

* * *

**Christmas Week**

**WalkerPOV**

"Daddy?"

Turning back to her before I left the room, I said, "Yeah, baby?" and tried not to show my pain and anger. This wasn't something that could be helped. She had to go through this.

"Will you stay with me tonight?"

She looked pitiful. Days of Caden trying to get her to shift left her sick with something close to the flu. Her hair was pasted to her temples and forehead with sweat, but under the blanket she was shivering as if freezing. Caden and Garrett both had said that it was normal for young wolves to go through this when attempting to shift for the first time. It was the hesitancy from fear of pain that caused the illness. Physically, they were ready to take that step. Mentally, they knew the pain they were about to be in, had watched it in others.

I smiled sympathetically. "Of course, baby girl. Let me go see if Mom wants to join us. Would you like that?"

She nodded, her bottom lip pouting.

"I'll be right back."

Now that we were in the cabins, we had room to move around. Haleigh now had a king size bed that was done up princess-style. It was plenty big enough for the three of us. Christa was downstairs turning off all the lights.

She looked up from the living room lamp. "Hey. How is she?"

"Tired. Shivering. She wants us to stay with her tonight."

"Absolutely. Let's go get changed for bed."

She wrapped her arm through mine and led us down the hall to our bedroom. It was double in size compared to Haleigh's, and the bed could only be called orgy-size. Even after all the buildings and such had gone up, Bianca and other pack members still had enough money to keep everything furnished and running for the next twenty years. Probably a lot longer. Since we were the alpha family, they'd made sure to deck out our cabin in nothing but comfort.

We both slipped into pajamas pants and t-shirts before turning out the lights and heading back upstairs. Haleigh was cuddled down into the blankets, tiredly watching cartoons. Her usually bright blue eyes were dulled with sickness, but lit up a little when we came in.

"Hey, sweetie," Christa said as she walked around to the far side of the bed and climbed in. She pulled the sheer gauze of the canopy netting around behind her. For some reason, Haleigh liked the protective feeling it gave her of being in a cave. A very comfy cave.

"Hi, Momma."

"Are you feeling any better?"

She gave a weak smile. "A little."

Christa curled herself around our daughter, her fingers brushing through her hair. I turned out all the lights and crawled in on my side, pulling my half of the netting behind me. Haleigh was asleep in a matter of minutes after we cocooned her.

"Did Caden say how long this would last?" Christa whispered.

Haleigh had cuddled against her chest, the shivering slowing in her small body.

I stroked her arm where it was wrapped around Haleigh. "He said it should last like a normal illness. He also said this was a good sign. She'll be so determined not to get sick again. In essence it will make her stronger."

"She's only nine. How do they deal with this all the time?"

"It's their way of life, Chris. In a way, my way of life now, too. We'll get through this. She has me, Caden, Garrett, and the pack."

She smiled. "Speaking of Garrett, how do you feel about what he said?"

I grimaced. "Personally, I think it's just creepy what they do with their children. Too young. At least Garrett has some sense to him."

"You like him," her smile was amused.

Rolling my eyes, I sank down into the pillows. "That doesn't mean I'll let him mate her."

"What if she's his true mate? It's possible that that's his attraction to her. There are plenty of mate-able females his age and he's never looked twice at them. And he damn sure doesn't look at them the way he looks at her."

Looking down at my daughter, I could see that she was sleeping peacefully. The sweating had stopped, breathing even. "You think it's possible for them to know that young?"

She shrugged, fingers still playing in Haleigh's hair. "I've been talking to Bianca and some of the other females about it since Haleigh's getting older. They said that most who mate that early are political moves between packs. Alpha males aren't allowed to mate for love. They have to mate the females that will allow the strongest alliances. However, if that female is challenged and dies, the alliance still stands. After that, the males are allowed to mate for love if they find it."

I frowned. "Why would the alliance still stand? Wouldn't the father of the female be pissed?"

"If the female is the daughter of an alpha, then they expect her to fight or die. If she's the daughter of a lower member, it's just written off as she was weak."

I wanted to growl in irritation but I didn't dare, not when my daughter was finally sleeping soundly. "That's just messed up."

"Yeah, but what I worry about it Calahan."

"What do you mean?"

She sighed. "What if Garrett and Haleigh are true mates and Calahan plans to mate his son off for an alliance? She might be too young now, but later? It will crush her if they run into each other again and she learns about it. Or if Garrett refuses his father's orders to mate for the alliance? Bianca said Calahan would in his right to have to the pack hunt him down."

That was a no-brainer. "Then I'd protect him."

Christa's widened with surprise. "You would?"

I nodded. "I'm sure the pack would back me. He's been up here with us off and on since the fight with Tristan. He's become like a step-child around here. If he needed shelter and protection, I would grant it. In a heartbeat."

She grinned. "I love you. So much."

Reaching over, I stroked her cheek. "I love you, too. Now get some sleep. You look exhausted."

"You, too."

**RPOV**

"Ness, drink the rest," my husband demanded.

I sighed in irritation and raised my eyebrows. "No."

Glaring, Jacob took a menacing step toward me, but I knew he wouldn't actually do anything. He couldn't, not without hurting the babies. "I said, drink it, Ness."

I lifted my chin. "And I said no."

"I didn't open a vein for my blood to be poured down the drain."

Holding the glass out to him, I said, "Well, you should have thought to ask me if I wanted any before slicing your wrist."

"You want it," he said in a matter of fact tone.

"No, I don't." Actually I did but I hated that I craved his blood and more so that he gave it willingly.

He took a deep breath, raising his massive shoulders and chest. Giving up the aggression, he gave me the one look that would trigger my guilty conscience. Sighing as if in defeat he hung his head. "Okay. I can sense that you want it, and it's okay that the craving scares you. It would scare me, too, if I craved your blood. But this isn't just for you." He took the glass from my hand and set it on the bedside table before taking me into his arms as best he could. "This is for the boys. Don't you want them as healthy as they can be before you bring them into the world?"

My turn to sigh in defeat, I pressed my forehead to his shoulder. "I hate you and that expression."

He chuckled as he stroked my back. "No, you don't. You know I'm right. You're going to be exhausted after you have them and you're going to want to know that they're safe and healthy."

Reaching out, I picked up the glass of Jacob's blood and chugged the rest of it like he wanted. It was thick and warm down my throat. And when it hit my stomach, the babies started to move, dancing around inside me. With my stomach pressed to Jacob's disgustingly perfectly flat abs, he felt the movement and chuckled again.

He was kissing my forehead when there was a knock on the bedroom door. "Come in."

It was Mara.

She smiled as she came in with a steaming cup of the herbal mixture that would curb my cravings for Jacob's blood. Her white and purple hair was in a braid down her back. "I figured Jacob won the battle and thought to be ready with this."

I practically tackled her for it. Once I drank it down, I felt instantly better. The mixture may have been just a small layer but at least it blocked most of the craving enough that I could visit with my family. Today we were decorating the Christmas tree that my family had somehow gotten here for the kids. We didn't want them not to have a semi-traditional Christmas. Shelby and Cricket had gone with them to shop for all the kids. The presents were kept in Cricket and Mara's room. That was the one room that the kids didn't really go in. Jacob and I weren't exchanging gifts this year since I was giving him his sons in February. He was all for that. He didn't want to worry about gifts either, not with all the stress. This year was all about the kids. Any adult exchanges would be in private.

"Thank you, Mara," Jacob said.

She smiled again. "You're very welcome. Everyone is ready downstairs. All the ornaments and decorations are ready." There was a very happy vibe coming from her.

"It still excites you, doesn't it?"

She shrugged. "We never celebrated Christmas before. It's a Christian holiday for the most part. I still don't understand why you celebrate it. You and your family aren't exactly religious."

Jacob and I shared a smile. He hugged me and rubbed my back. "We all believe in something. Maybe not God specifically. Well, Carlisle does. But Nessie wasn't raised in a particular faith, and I was raised with the Quileute legends and spirits."

"The holidays for us are more about spending stress-free time with our friends and family. It's the one time of the year that we forget about all the troubles we're having and just enjoy ourselves." I rubbed my belly. "For some reason, during the year, we forget how much they all really mean to us. This time of year, we open our eyes to the fact that we made it another year, we survived. The joy all around is calming."

Mara nodded and gave a soft smile.

"A'nt Nethie! Uncle Daycob!"

We all turned toward the door to see Brayden in the doorway. His face was flushed, green eyes sparkling. Will showed up behind him two seconds later. We laughed.

"What's up, big guy?" Jacob asked, letting go of me to kneel in front of them.

"'ecorate the tree!"

Mara laughed. "I suppose they're all ready."

We shared a smile.

"Let's wait for a moment," I said. "I guarantee Jules isn't far behind. Let's let her get up the stairs or she'll get mad."

"How do you know she's coming?"

Jacob and I chuckled. Mine was amused. His was proud.

"She loves her boys. And Brayden rarely goes anywhere without her."

Her white eyebrows rose as she turned toward the door to look at Brayden. "You think there may be…?"

I shrugged. "Maybe." Jacob scowled. I laughed. "Jacob doesn't like the idea of any boy thinking of his baby girl that way, even if it's a boy he's helped raise." I gave him a look. "But he's going to have to get over that."

He just huffed.

Mara giggled. "Has there ever been an instance where the couple knew they would imprint before they phased?"

Jacob's brow furrowed in contemplation this time. "Well, it's possible that they could be attracted to each other beforehand. You could ask my dad. Watching the kids, I'd say sure, but we won't know until one of them phases. Even though I try not to, I do see the connection between Brayden and Jules as well as Henry and Leila."

"So you think Brayden can imprint?"

All three of us looked to the boy who was turned toward the stairs as if waiting for something.

Jacob shrugged. "There's never been a hybrid of Quileute and one of the Children. It could be the tug of the true mate. I doubt we'll ever know if it's one or the other since there are no physical signs of either."

"But Brayden is a hybrid himself."

Jacob looked over at her. "And that makes it all the more confusing."

Two seconds later, a high-pitched giggling preceded Jules through the door. She stood there, grinning ear to ear, her curls a copper halo around her head. "Mommy, Daddy!" She ran for Jacob, but I watched Brayden watch her as she ran past him. For a three year old, he was way too intense, eyes way too focused. But then again, all the kids were developing fast mentally and physically. That's why none of us worried too much about them navigating the stairs. Of course, someone always stood at the bottom to watch them, but none of us felt the need to follow them.

Jacob scooped her up and tossed her into the air. She giggled, hair flying. "You ready to decorate the tree?"

She nodded, aqua eyes shining. "Yeah-huh!"

The boys gave excited cries before Will came to grip my hand. "I help you, Mommy. Come wif me."

Laughing, I followed him out of the room. "Okay, baby."

Everybody else trooped behind us as we made our way slowly down the stairs. I could feel Jacob hovering at my back, his chest nearly touching me. I rarely walked the stairs now if at all. When we finally made it to the bottom, I turned to watch everyone else. Jacob was just behind me. Brayden was keeping watch over Jules and Mara was bringing up the rear of the troop. Seth and Uncle Emmett were at my side in moments. At bedtime, Uncle Emmett would come into our room after we'd gotten ready for bed to stay until we fell asleep. I was still paranoid that I'd hurt Jacob if we had any extended amount of time together. Once we were all down the stairs, Will led me to the very spacious living room. Despite the heat of the climate outside, there was a fire going in the fireplace. No doubt someone had turned the air to freezing so that it wouldn't kill us all of heat stroke. It helped to make it feel more like the holidays. In the far corner, just before the dining room was a massive pine tree. There were boxes of ornaments and decorations. Some were brand new, others in plastic storage boxes.

Aunt Alice was in front of me, grinning. "We didn't know what theme would be the most popular, so Rosalie and I just grabbed everything we could find."

Grinning myself, I hugged her as best I could. "Thank you, Aunt Alice. It's wonderful."

She beamed as she helped Will escort me into the room, Jacob hovering the whole time. Brayden and Jules darted past us to get to the bulbs. Uncle Emmett took Jacob's place as Seth and Jacob ran after them to keep them from breaking anything.

"So how are you feeling?" Aunt Alice asked as she carefully helped me sit down on the couch. Will ran over to where Jacob and Seth were kneeling down with the kids to dig through decorations.

Sighing happily, I rubbed my stomach where the boys were still kicking. "I'm okay. Very tired, but okay. I'm ready for February to get here, to see my boys." I knew that my grandfather and father were worrying over my diet. They made me promise to tell them if anything felt off. My water intake wasn't nearly as high as my blood intake and that worried them. At least I ate my vegetables and proteins like a good girl.

Aunt Alice sat down beside me, Mom coming to sit on my other side.

Mom grinned. "Are they still moving?"

I nodded. "You can feel if you want."

They both pressed their palms to my swollen belly. Both boys kicked and moved. But even with them inside me, I could tell that one of them was more active than the other. When I'd noticed, I'd gone to Carlisle. He did some tests and ultrasounds, coming to the conclusion that both babies were perfectly healthy. Some babies apparently started to develop personalities in the womb. He'd said he wouldn't be surprised if the more active boy was the rambunctious one while the quiet boy would stay that way, being the introvert to his brother's extrovert personality.

"Wow," Mom said. "They must really like Jacob's blood."

"Oh yeah. It's helping them grow, keeping them strong." Absently rubbing circles over my table of a stomach, I lowered my voice and said, "I'm scared, Mom."

Both my mother and my aunt looked at me.

Mom brushed straggling curls away from my face. "Baby, your father and grandfather are going to take really good care of you in that delivery room. And Jacob will be there the whole time."

"And you?"

"Of course."

I smiled a little, but said, "What if Cricket is wrong? I mean, I remember the pain from having just one baby. I have to give birth to two. What if the pain is too much and I can't pull through that? I'd be leaving Jacob with four babies."

Aunt Alice gripped my hand. "You're not going anywhere. Period. These babies will be born to a healthy if a little tired mother and a very relieved father. Will and Jules will have two baby brothers to take care of. That's just how it's going to go and you're going to accept that."

The woman always had a way of making me smile through my fears. Jacob glanced at me over his shoulder, letting me know that he'd heard us. I could see the fear in his eyes, too. He was as scared as I was that Cricket would finally have her first-time-for-everything wrong moment, and I would leave him alone to raise our kids.

Someone moved in my line of sight, blocking out Jacob. I looked up to see Aunt Rosalie.

She knelt in front of me and took my hand. "Listen to me, sweetie. I've done some research. While in the womb, babies are much attuned to their mother's emotions. If you're scared, the boys will know it. And fear causes stress. You will make it. You're a Cullen. And your mother's daughter. Bella has always been tough. She picked you over her own life. I understand that you're not in fear of your life. You're in fear of leaving your husband and children behind. But you've got to give up that fear so that your boys will be born healthy."

I looked over at Mom. "You weren't scared, were you?"

She smiled, and stroked my cheek. "No. I had faith that it would work out, that your father would be able to change me. Granted it didn't quite go how we planned. I wanted to have a normal labor and birthing, then change not long after you were born, but that's not how it happened. Rosalie is right. You have to have faith that you're strong enough. If not for yourself, be strong and have that faith for your children. Before you came into the picture, children were an impossibility for me and your father. So when I learned I was pregnant, I did everything to keep you safe. Was I scared? A little. But my need to keep you safe trumped it."

Looking down at my belly, I stroked my palms over where my sons were growing. All three of them were right. I had to let go of the fear for my boys. They needed me to be strong for them to be strong. Glancing up, I watch Jacob and Seth with the kids. Shelby was sitting over with Piper and Jules to go through the bulbs while the boys went through the lights. I couldn't be scared to leave them all behind. I had to fight to stay with them.

Fear was crippling and could cost me everything.

**CadenPOV**

"Good, Haleigh. That's it. You're much stronger than you think. Remember. Just like any sport, focus on the goal."

Today, Leah and I had gone to Walker's land to train Haleigh. After her illness, she'd come back as a force to be reckoned with. Fiercely determined, she channeled the rage where I told her. Yesterday, she'd finally performed a partial shift, forcing her claws from her fingers. Her eyes changed from sapphire to vivid green. If I hadn't known that she was adopted, I'd have sworn she was Walker's biological daughter. There were so many similarities that I wondered if she'd been the daughter of an alpha to begin with.

"More anger, Haleigh," Garrett said. "Think about when you get blocked on the field. That urge to prove yourself, to force your body to your will and get that ball in the goal in any way necessary."

Haleigh turned those green eyes to him. Her eyes had changed but we hadn't been able to get her to force the claws out again. Walker had wanted to quit an hour ago but Haleigh had insisted she not stop until she got it. Now, Garrett gave a nervous glance to Walker before taking Haleigh's hands in his. She growled, which was actually a good thing. The growl was telling Garrett to watch himself, that she was a female not to be messed with.

He swallowed hard but kept his voice steady. "Feel my energy, the flow of my power. I'm going to channel my will to my hands. I want you to feel it."

After a long moment, she gripped his hands in return.

Garrett's power flowed out from his body. His eyes slowly turned amber. When the power hit me, I felt my own eyes change. The boy was powerful, definitely the child of an alpha. He'd grow up to be more powerful than his father. He was already close to rivaling Calahan at just fifteen. When Haleigh felt the power, she began to panic, but Garrett held her.

"No, Haleigh," he ordered in a guttural voice. The wolf was taking over. "Feel the power. Focus on my will, not your fear. Feel my hands, how the power pounds in my veins with my blood. You have the same power inside you. This is a command. You control your own power. You tell it where to go."

The power made my skin tingle as his hands slowly turned into lethal claws. Walker made a move toward them, but I grabbed his arm. "No," I whispered. "Let's see what she does."

"She's only nine. How could a child feel that much anger?"

"Her parents. Her childhood. She was no doubt told stories of how she'd been found. He's using her aggression for sports to channel it. Smart, really."

Garrett gripped her hands hard enough to make her flinch. "Feel it, Haleigh! The power is rushing through my hands, exactly where I want it. Why can't you do it? Are you that weak?"

"Shut up," she whispered.

"What was that?" he taunted, forcing her aggression higher. "You _are _weak?"

"Shut up, Garrett!"

"No. You're a weak female."

Walker pulled against my hold. "What the hell is he doing?"

"Pushing. She's the daughter of an alpha. She's strong enough to fight the anger, to stay calm. He's trying to rile her up."

He looked at me. "You make it sound like she was born to an alpha."

I nodded. "Seeing this? I wouldn't doubt it in the least."

A loud thump brought our attention back to the children.

Haleigh had somehow put Garrett flat on his back in the muddy grass, her claws at his throat. "I said, shut up! I am not weak!"

"Haleigh," Walker started, but I pulled his back again. Christa was standing with Leah and looking worried. Walker turned on me. "If she hurts him, she'll feel guilty."

I shook my head. "No, she won't. This is her wolf at the surface. Though this is training, it's also crossing lines. He pissed off an alpha female, the most dangerous thing a male can do. This is his lesson. If he's to be pack leader, he's got to learn to navigate these waters."

Haleigh glanced over and there was nothing human there in that nine year old body. She was resplendent wearing her wolf, crouched over Garrett, her claws at his throat. Though she wasn't my daughter, I was quite proud of her.

Garrett's power receded, leaving his hands human and eyes back to their normal color.

"I'm not weak," Haleigh growled.

He slowly held his hands up in a surrender motion, eyes darting between her hands and her eyes. "I can see that. You proved me wrong. But you know I had to test you. You know females must be tested."

She hesitated. "Test?"

He did well building her up. Instead of saying he knew she wasn't weak, he made it sound as if she proven her worth to him. Even with one as young as she, she understood the meaning. And it meant a great deal to her that he saw her as strong, especially since they were close friends.

"Yes, Haleigh. Test. If you want to keep being my friend, you have to be strong enough. You've just proven to me that you are. It's okay."

With his words, her anger started to die down, taking her wolf with it. Her eyes were last to change back to dark blue. This time, though, it seemed as if she remembered what she'd done. Instead of a gasp of surprise, she just stared down at Garrett.

In a tone very uncharacteristic of a nine year old, she said, "Don't ever call me weak again, Garrett. My father will be the least of your problems." Then without a backward glance, she turned and walked back to her family's cabin.

"What just happened?" Christa asked, coming to stand next to her husband.

I grinned as I helped Garrett to his feet. "Nothing to be scared of. She just asserted her dominance over a visiting alpha. It's a very good sign. She won't be the type of alpha female to be pushed around."

Garrett rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah and she scared the hell outta me."

I saw Walker's proud grin out of the corner of my eye. Christa gave him a look.

"Is she okay?" she asked.

"Better than okay," Garrett said. "I'd say she's on a power high right now. It's not often I get my butt kicked like that. She's got some serious mojo."

I nodded my agreement.

And then the world shifted. Glancing at Garrett, I could have sworn I saw the curve of my son in his jaw, what I envisioned Damien to look like now. The vision hit me so hard that I doubled over in pain, my head exploding. Blurs of memories ran across the backs of my closed eyelids.

"Caden!"

The last thing I felt before I was sucked into my past was Leah's hands on my arms as I sank to my knees in the muddy grass. Something in my head was breaking, some wall. And I realized it was the wall Mara had been talking about, the one that my wolf had erected to protect me. I was about to get the memories of what actually happened that night. I wasn't sure I was ready for it, but I could hear Mara telling me that it would break when I was ready.

Before my eyes, I was back in my nightmare, except it was different. As usual, I was watching it from an outside perspective, seeing myself and Alora. It was different because I wasn't in wolf form, running for the house. I was in the dark bedroom, sleeping beside a very pregnant Alora. She was supposed to go to the doctor in the morning. We'd decided that we wanted to know the sex of the baby even though the pregnancy was close to ending.

I moved closer to the bed to watch her. She was as beautiful as I remembered with gorgeous auburn hair waving over her pillow and my face behind her. When she adjusted on the bed in discomfort, I smiled. She'd always hated sleeping on her back and blamed me for it since I'd been the male to impregnate her. She'd blamed me for everything that annoyed her. When she'd been pregnant with Damien, she wouldn't sleep at night. During the day, she'd go out to sleep in the hammock under the sunlight.

Damien.

Heart clenching, I moved out of the room, my presence not making a sound. I was a ghost in my own mind. Walking down the hall, I stopped at my son's bedroom door. As soon as I touched the doorknob, I found myself instantly in the bedroom. Once I made out the tiny form on the bed, I silently went to my knees. My son was so beautiful, sleeping like an angel. He'd kicked off the covers, as usual, and was sprawled over the bed, his thumb in his mouth. His auburn-blond hair was matted with sweat. More than anything, I wanted to touch him. This was just a dream, a memory, so I could. Getting back to my feet, I sat on the edge of the bed. I'd forgotten how small he was. So tiny. Reaching out, I touched his hand. Surprisingly, it was warm and real and soft. His fingers were tiny in my palm.

He shifted. "Daddy," he whispered in his sleep.

My heart clenched, pain searing me. It had been so long since I'd heard my son's voice calling out for me. I stroked his hair back. "It's alright, Damien. I'm right here." But it was a lie, and I knew the worst was coming. He was going to be torn from me. Once I saw this, I somehow knew that I would never visit this place again. I'd be free of it. It was what I had been working toward with Mara, but I hadn't thought it would be this soon after talking with her.

Everything went quiet. The crickets and night birds had gone eerily silent. I closed my eyes as the inevitable was about to happen, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I was just a spectator in my own head.

A few more moments of silence before a feminine scream ripped through the air. Damien jerked but didn't wake as his mother's ragged screams rent the air. The tears I'd been holding back for years slipped down my face as Alora screamed for me. Noise from the hall told me they were moving us to the living room. At least the wolf had let me have that in my memory, where they'd died. The door to my son's room flung open, bouncing off the wall. Instinctively, I turned and growled, but of course, this was a memory. I couldn't fight ghosts. The vampire reached through me and grabbed my screaming son from his bed and dragged him to the living room where an awful pounding sound reverberated through the house.

"Please! Stop!" Alora sobbed and yelled. "Please! Caden!"

Bracing myself, I stepped into the hallway and went toward the living room.

"Why are you doing this?! Just stop! Who are you?!"

A cold voice answered her. "So you don't tell your mate of your extracurricular activities, then?"

I then recognized my voice, gritted with pain. "She's not like me. She's human."

"Tsk, tsk. You should have thought about that before you killed my lover, wolf."

What I saw when I stood in the doorway was nothing the way I remembered. My body was nailed to the wall with silver stakes. Alora was weeping on her knees, held by her hair. And Damien was held against the blond Caius, not that I knew who he was back then. All I'd been able to discern was that he was a vampire and a powerful one.

My blood was already everywhere. They'd fought to force me on the wall. When Caius caressed my son's cheek, my memory-self growled and jerked on the stakes, further ripping the meat of my arms. Holding my own arms out, I looked at the scars there. I'd always assumed I'd gotten them in a fight of succession, not from being crucified to my own house. I looked back to scene. The tension was rising and I knew the deaths were close.

"Don't worry. The boy won't suffer. I'm not one to torture children when they can't help who or what sired them."

"Oh, god, no! Please!" Alora cried. She looked to the me nailed to the wall. "Do something!"

"Oh, he can't," Caius said. "Your fate was sealed when he killed my lover."

Memory Me jerked again. "I didn't kill her! I haven't killed anyone! It was someone else! Please, if you want revenge, kill me. They had no part in whatever is happening. Just kill me and let them live. The children are half human."

Caius's cool eyes said that no matter what was pleaded, he was getting blood on his hands this night. "It's only fitting I kill the boy first. Parents should be allowed to mourn their children before their own deaths."

And then he snapped Damien's neck.

Alora's screams of agony would forever haunt me. The memory of me hung limp against the wall, staring at our son's body, tears flowing down his face to mix with the blood. My own tears fell as my knees collapsed. The vampire holding Alora let her go so she could crawl to Damien's body. Her voice was broken, but she continued to scream. She pulled his tiny body against her chest and pregnant belly.

"I'm sorry," the memory whispered over and over.

Alora's tear-stained face looked up. "You didn't kill her? Truly?"

I shook my head. "I swear."

Closing her eyes, she nodded. "Then I don't blame you for this. I love you."

More tears from both me and the memory. "I love you, too," we whispered, knowing her death was next.

In rage, she looked up at the vampire. "One day, you will die and I will be watching from wherever I am to celebrate your trip to hell," she spat at him, then closed her eyes and lifted her chin.

He snarled and reached for her.

Despite the fact that the memory of myself was nailed to the wall, he still struggled as Caius snapped her neck. Now he screamed and spat and yelled until he was hoarse as her body fell at his feet.

Sighing as if bored, Caius took out a piece of cloth to wipe his hands and then threw it onto Alora's body. "Take the bodies to the nearest pack. Let them be an example of what we do to those who try to rise against us. This is our kingdom and it will stay that way."

Two vampires picked up the bodies of my family and none too gently carried them out.

"Kill me! Just fucking kill me!" the Caden on the wall screamed.

The vampire turned back to him with a smirk. "No. I'm going to leave you alive so you can live with the pain and the guilt, knowing that she really did blame you for your son's death, for her death. It was clearly there in her eyes."

"You son of a bitch!"

He sighed again. "Take him down. Beat him until he can't follow us. He may even get his wish to die. But make sure he suffers first." Before walking out the door, he turned back. "I wonder what the local pack will think when they learn that you couldn't even protect your family. What will they do to you when they find you here, beaten bloody and disgraced?"

I watched from the hallway as four vampires grabbed the memory Caden, moved him to the floor and beat him bloody, stabbing him with silver. Now I knew where my scars came from. When it was over, the vampires gone, I knelt beside myself, barely recognizing the features through the swelling and blood. As soon as I reached out to touch one of the wounds, I got sucked into the body, becoming one with my memory. The pain was so unbearable that we were close to passing out. But it wasn't just the physical pain. My heart and soul were completely shattered, dust. For all intents and purposes, we were comatose. Barely alive, breathing through our own blood that was quickly filling our lungs. Our human self was content to die on the floor.

But the wolf was not. The wolf was a fighter.

The human memory fell away. I was still there, but the memory Caden faded under the wolf's influence. The animal forced the human presence down and shifted the body, instantly healing a lot of the physical damage. As the wolf picked up its body, it had one thought. To get to safety. To get to our old friend: Tristan.

Suddenly, everything turned white and I was no longer running on all fours.

"Caden?"

"Daddy!"

Those voices.

I turned to see Alora and Damien standing a few feet from me on white marble. Everything was white. All I was sure of was the three of us and the floor. Nothing else seemed to exist.

"Alora?"

Her smile was tentative. "You're not supposed to be here."

I looked around. "Where is here?"

"The witch, Mara, would call it the Inbetween. Neither here nor there."

I jerked at the name. "You know her?"

She smiled. "I've been watching over you. That's all we can do since we're stuck here."

Damien broke away from her to run to me. "Daddy!"

Kneeling down, I surprised when I was able to touch him. Emotions running through me, I hugged him to me and breathed in his scent. "Oh, Damien. I'm so sorry. I love you so much."

"Luv you, too, Daddy."

I looked up at Alora over his shoulder. "Is this a dream?"

"For what you'll remember of it, yes."

I frowned as I realized what was different about her. "Where's the baby?"

Her expression turned sad. "I don't know. I haven't been able to find him. Damien was waiting for me when I got here. It's a little fuzzy but I thought I was still, you know, beach ball size when I got here. But then after things cleared, I was like this. We've been wandering around ever since. Every now and then the white will open up and we can see you. Leah's very pretty. And definitely your type."

At that I choked up. Standing up, I went for her. "Alora," I said, pulling her into my arms. "I'm so sorry. I never killed that vampire that he accused me of killing. I'm so, so sorry. Please forgive me."

Her arms held me tight. "I forgave you before I died, Caden. That vampire was just lying to you when he told you I blamed you. I never did. But I will tell you what I'm going to blame you for."

In dread, I pulled back. "What?"

"If you don't have a family with that woman. I have a feeling that once you leave here to go back home, Damien and I will leave here and we'll be happy. I'll have him, our son. And I'll keep searching for the baby. But you cannot keep Leah at a distance. She's your true mate. All she wants is for you to be happy. You can't be happy if you let me haunt you. You have to let me go. I'm gone, Caden. I don't belong down there anymore. And neither does Damien. Let us go. Let us rest."

"You're saying I trapped you here."

"Your wolf did by not allowing you the truth earlier. But honestly, we've been okay. But now that you know, it's time. Caius is dead by your hand. We are avenged. Wherever we go next, I will continue to teach your son about you. I don't know what's waiting for us or for you. But I do know you need to get your butt back down there and have a couple kids. I love her tanned skin. She's gorgeous."

When I started laughing in joy, she started to fade. I expected panic when she reached out for Damien who was also fading, but all I felt was relief. They were leaving the whiteness.

"We love you, Caden. We always will, but you're still alive. You need to live." She looked at Damien. "Say goodbye to Daddy. We'll see him again one day."

My son waved at me, tightening my throat. "Bye, Daddy!"

"Goodbye, son. Until we meet again." I looked to Alora.

She smiled. "Goodbye, Caden. Until we meet again."

"Goodbye," I whispered just before they vanished, and the world turned black once more.

"Caden! Please wake up. Walker, he's barely breathing."

The voice was so out of place that I was jerked out of the memory so forcefully that I slammed back into my body with a ragged gasp.

"Oh my god, Caden!"

Emotions hit me like an anvil, crushing me under the weight of the memory. Inside my head, the feelings must have been suppressed enough so that I could participate in the memory. Unable to see anything but white, I clutched whatever was nearest to me. It happened to be Leah cradling me in her lap, her arms around my chest and shoulders.

She stroked my hair as I struggled to breathe and grasp reality. "It's alright. I've got you. Shh, you're safe." She kissed my forehead. "It was just a memory. You're here with me. Caius is dead. You killed him. You avenged Alora and Damien."

The names flashed images of the two of them waving at me from a world of white. Alora telling me to let me go before they faded with happy smiles.

I tried to focus on Leah's sweet voice, clinging to the good memories I had with her. Breathing in deep, I took in her scent and the love pouring from her.

"Mara says it's his suppressed emotions," Walker's voice interrupted. "Not only did the wolf cover the memory, he killed feelings."

"Mara?" I gasped, flashing onto Alora talking about the witch in the white dream. Not possible.

Focus was beginning to come back to me and I could see that I was inside Walker and Christa's cabin in front of the fire. Walker moved into my line of sight and nodded.

"Yeah. I got her on the phone as soon as you started convulsing and screaming." He held the phone out. "Wanna talk to her?"

I nodded but said, "I don't think I can hold the phone."

"I've got that," Leah said. She took the phone and held it to my ear.

"Mara?"

The voice on the other end let out a relieved sigh. "Good. You made it back. I'm so sorry. I didn't think you'd made that much progress."

Clearing my throat a few times, I closed my eyes and leaned into Leah's chest. "It's alright. You said I'd have to do this alone. I'd have had the same reaction if you were here."

"That's true. I won't ask you what happened, but I need to know how you feel."

Now that she asked, I realized that the pain had died down considerably. What took up the extra space a bone-deep exhaustion that I'd never felt before. I knew that I should be enraged that my family had died for something I hadn't done. He must have blamed me because I was a convenient target without a pack. No protection. But I couldn't feel that rage because something told me that they knew the truth now somehow. It was over anyway. I'd ripped him apart for what he'd done and I couldn't force myself to feel anything else about the whole ordeal.

"Caden?"

"Tired," I said, realizing I'd left a long silence. "Exhausted. Like I could sleep for a month straight."

Another relieved sigh. "That's good, Caden. That means you're letting go of your past. Now, I fully recommend getting yourself into a bed. You will pass out for a few days for your subconscious to heal. It's raw, like an open wound. It will heal faster if you sleep. Don't fight it."

Chuckling, I said, "I'm done fighting, Mara. I just want my life back."

Her smile could be heard through the line. "Those are the words of a fighter. I knew you had it in you. Hand me back to Walker."

"Yes, ma'am."

Once I handed the phone back, I curled into Leah, opened my eyes and looked up at her. "I love you," I whispered, surprised that my last words to Alora didn't rip me apart since I was saying them to another woman.

Teary-eyed, she stroked my hair. "And I love you."

I smiled, and somehow found the energy to reach up and push her hair back. "When I wake up in a few days, we're going to start working on our family."

She shook her head. "Caden, you just watched the worst moment of your life in replay. We'll take our time."

"No. Alora's last words to Caius were that he would die and she would laugh as he fell into hell. She got what she wanted. She's happy wherever she is with our children. It's time for me to find my happiness, my own version of heaven. I'm alive and I have to live."

Shaking her head in wonder, she studied me. "You're different now. I don't know what, but something is definitely different."

"I'm free now."

Leaning over me, she gently pressed her lips to mine. "Sleep. We'll talk after you heal."

"Promise?"

"I swear."

With that solemn vow, I slipped back into darkness. But this time, it was more like a warm blanket on a cold night than drowning in a pool of black water.

**JPOV**

"Wolf, Daddy! Wolf!"

The kids had been screaming that at me and Seth all night after we were done decorating the tree. I rolled my eyes at Seth and he followed me outside. "I guess we should check on the pack," I said, stripping down behind a tree.

Seth laughed from behind another tree. "I guess. But you do know our kids have us in the palms of their hands, right?"

"Oh yeah. Especially the girls. Good grief."

We both sighed before phasing out. Man, the stretch felt good. It had been a while.

_Ya think?_

I chuckled. _Hi, Morgan._

_Don't 'hi' me, Black. You're on my shit list._

_Why?_

_I thought we were close. You know after our bonding screaming match. But nooo, not one damn phone call. And neither Walker nor Embry can think to keep us updated. Jerks._

Other laughs joined mine and Seth's.

_How about this, guys. Either Seth or myself with phase every day to give you updates. How about that? Sound good?_

She sniffed. _I suppose. Now go inside. I wanna see the kidlets._

I mentally smiled as Seth and I made our way into the house. _They miss you guys, too. That's why we phased in the first place. They're missing the wolves._

_Well, of course they are. We're home. A tropical island, no matter how awesome, is not home._

_True that, _Seth piped in. _Can't wait to get back home._

Lucas joined in. _Can't wait to have you back. How's Ness?_

_She's okay. It's taking its toll on her of course. She's scared but still strong._

_Well, tell her we said hi and that we miss her._

My heart tugged at the fact that they all loved her. _I will. She'll be happy to hear from all of you._

As soon as I stepped through the door, the pack vanished in my head when Jules ran up to me. "Daddy!" Even with me in wolf form, she was barely as tall as one of my legs. Dipping down, I licked her cheek, making her giggle. "Silly Daddy."

While we'd been out, they'd popped in a Christmas movie. Jules ran over to Nessie giggling. "Mommy, Daddy lick me!"

"I saw that. Was it yucky?"

"Yeah-huh!"

The room laughed. I chuckled as I moved toward them. Seth moved to lay beside Shelby. Brayden and Piper climbed on him. Brayden sat on his shoulders, resting his chin on his father's head. Piper sat between his front paws against his chest. Shelby buried her face in the fur of his neck and cuddled close.

I laid at Nessie's feet, my side against the couch. She propped her feet on my back. Will and Jules sat in the curve of my huge body. Jules played with my wagging tail. Nessie playfully scolded me for teasing Jules when I purposely kept it from her. Will leaned against my shoulder, reverently petting my fur. It was a good feeling to have my son want to be near me. In the background of my mind, I could hear the pack oohing and ahhing over the kids. They had grown even more. Even Piper, a good six months younger than Jules, had lost her jerky movements.

Nessie rubbed my back with her feet and my head with her hand. "How's our family?"

Edward answered from the dining room. "He says they're fine. They say hi and that they miss you. Morgan misses the kids."

"I knew she was a softie," Nessie said with a smile.

I chuckled and relayed the message. Morgan huffed playfully before phasing out. Her last thought was that she missed her family.

By the time the movie was over, the four kids were fast asleep. It was a shame to have to move them, but the women got them tucked away before coming back down to watch TV. I told Edward to tell them that Seth and I were going to stretch our legs and run a bit. When we got back, Ness and Shelby were passed out on the couch. Seth and I carried our mates to our respective rooms.

When I had finally gotten Nessie undressed and in bed, she woke up a little. "Did you have a nice run?"

I kissed her forehead. "Yeah, baby. It was good. Lots of scenery. Go back to sleep. You need it."

"Okay. Love you."

"Love you, too."

I slid in beside her as she drifted off. Emmett came into the room and sat in the chair in the corner without a word. For some reason, it was nice to know that someone was watching over us while we slept.

**January**

**JPOV**

We were in the home stretch of the pregnancy. Both Nessie and I could see the end. News from home also helped to lift the spirits around the house. Caden had had his memory block torn down. Seth had announced that Caden and Leah had started trying for kids, and that he had asked for her hand in a mating ceremony. Mara had cried at the news. Plus other baby news. Emily was pregnant again with baby number two. The Uley's, though still intimate with the pack, had taken to keeping to the outskirts of pack business. Apparently Emily was far enough along to announce that they were having a boy to Sam's euphoria. He loved his daughter, but he'd always wanted a boy who would do the Uley name proud. He wanted to erase his father entirely from pack memory. It was a good start. Now everyone was looking to Leah to get pregnant next. Or maybe Tricia. Or Christa. Our baby boom was about to start up. I could feel it.

Thankfully, there were no more reports from Walker about dead deer on his property. Seth had told the boys at home to watch for anything on patrols. Apparently, Embry and Walker were holding up just fine.

It was late January and I was lying on a beach with my feet in the surf, the waves rushing up to my thighs, soaking my cut-offs. Nessie was sitting in a chair in the shade reading. My eyes were closed as I soaked up the sun, trying to memorize the tingle of my skin. Unfortunately, when you have children, closed eyes aren't always a good thing, especially when one of them whaps you on the forehead with something plastic.

"Bam!"

Nessie giggled as I opened one eye. Jules was standing over my head, her feet at my shoulders.

She giggled. "Hi, Daddy."

I chuckled. "Hey, baby girl."

I closed my eyes again for two seconds. Just long enough for her to run around and plop down on my chest. "Oof."

She giggled again as she straddled my ribcage. Someone had bought her a princess play set for Christmas. She was wearing her yellow Belle dress. Unfortunately for me, the thing had come with a plastic wand. She'd also started riding on my back when I phased, digging those stupid plastic slippers into my sides. But it made her happy so I dealt with it. Of course, I still did the rides in human form, too. I'd had to have the "don't pull Daddy's hair" discussion with her. Surprisingly, it went over well. Until I had to have the "don't pull Uncle Seth's hair" discussion. She'd cried a little because she'd thought she was in trouble. Once she realized she wasn't, she was fine. I'd also taken Will out on the island for some father/son time. It had been nice. Really nice.

"What are you doing, baby girl?" I asked when she got off me to sit in the sand next to me.

"Sitting wif you, Daddy."

My hands were up behind my head so she had room to lean against my side. She put her hands under her head where it rested on my stomach, turned her head and grinned. Nessie snapped some pictures. Will was inside watching cartoons with Brayden and Piper. The three of us stayed out there for a long time. Jules fell asleep against me. After a couple hours, I called Edward out to take her inside so that she wouldn't get sunburnt. Nessie decided to go in, too, saying that she was getting a little warm. Understandable since she was growing two Quileute wolves inside her. Well, they were half Quileute, but no doubt their body heat combined was killing her.

But a few minutes later, I heard her gasp from inside.

"Nessie? Sweetie, are you okay?"

When there wasn't an immediate answer, but a deep breath, I was up off the beach before my next heartbeat. Quickly, I rinsed off before going inside. "What happened?"

Nessie and Edward were standing in the doorway to the kitchen. She had a hand on the back of a chair and the other on her stomach. "Nothing," she said. "Just a dizzy spell. I got up too fast or something."

Edward caught my eye and shook his head, as if he couldn't tell if it was true or not. "Why don't we let Carlisle check you over?" he said.

Nessie shook him off and stood up straight. "No. I'm fine. It was just a dizzy spell." She looked at me. "Help me upstairs. I wanna lay down for a little while before dinner."

Now that I was looking at her, I could see that she wasn't looking so good. Her face was pinched tight, eyes tired. And she'd said that something had upset her stomach for the past couple days.

Gripping her hand and elbow, I nodded. "Yeah, you look like you could use some rest."

I helped her up the stairs and into the bedroom. Instead of going for the bed, she went for the bathroom rather quickly.

"Ness?"

"I think I'm going to be sick."

The feeling that something was wrong was quickly taking over my radar. I didn't hear any retching but the water in the sink started running, so I knocked on the door. "Are you okay? Can I open the door?"

"Yeah, please do."

She was dabbing her face and neck with a wet cloth. "I feel awful. My stomach is killing me. Maybe it's the heat. I've heard of women not being able to handle heat during pregnancy. And my first two were in cold Forks."

I took the rag from her and did the dabbing myself while she braced her swollen body against the counter. "Nessie, please talk to Carlisle."

When she hung her head and didn't answer, I knew something was wrong. And then she started to lean. Dropping the rag, I caught her before she could fall over. "Ness? Ness!" Her eyes were closed, face pinched in pain. "No, not again," I said frantically. "Carlisle!"

Edward and Carlisle flew into the room. I held her while he frantically looked her over.

"Let's get her downstairs."

Edward and I worked together to carefully get her down to the hospital bed in the dayroom.

"Jacob, I need to know what she was saying to you in the bathroom," Carlisle said as he hooked up an IV and heart monitor.

Standing back, I watched them asses her. "Um, she was saying that she was hot. And that her stomach hurt. She said that it could be the heat since she's pregnant."

"Could be. Have you seen her drink any water?"

"Not recently."

"Has she gone to the bathroom for more than a shower?"

Understanding his meaning, I shook my head. "I really don't know. I'm kind of everywhere with Will and Jules."

Mara walked in with a bowl of murky liquid and a washcloth. "She hasn't been going as much as she should now that I think about it."

Carlisle shared a look with Edward across the bed.

"What?" I demanded. "What is it?"

"I think she's dehydrated," he said as he wheeled over the ultrasound machine. "Even with all the blood. The blood doesn't have enough water in it to cover how much she needs. We'll keep her on fluids for now, but I highly doubt I'm going to take her off bed rest." At my look, he said, "It's only a couple more weeks. Honestly, the babies are healthy and developed enough to be delivered now. It's just best to wait for the labor. Don't worry, Jacob. Edward and I are prepared at any moment for emergency actions. Both of us have hunted enough that we'll be okay for the next few weeks, probably a little longer."

Nodding, I looked over at Mara, who was wiping that liquid over Nessie's skin. "What is that?"

"Something to help cool her down. A cold bath might put her in shock. It won't be good for the babies. This will keep her comfortable enough to let her rest."

"Thank you."

She smiled. "It's why you asked me to come, so that I could help."

Bella rushed in, eyes nice and golden from the hunting trip she'd just gotten back from. I moved so she could get to Nessie without being in the way. She worriedly stroked Nessie's hair back before braiding it. If she could have teared up, she would have. "You stubborn, girl." Then she turned to me. "Are you okay?

I wanted to lie and say that yeah I was now that she was being looked over, but I couldn't do it. "I don't know," I whispered.

She reached back with her free hand to take mine. "It'll be okay. Cricket said this one would be tough. It's just a speed bump."

Edward came over to wrap himself around Bella as if he, too, was seeking comfort. "I'm scared, too, Jacob."

Bella glanced at him. "We're okay. And so is she."

"It's not a crime to be realistic, Bella," Edward said. "I know what Cricket said and saw, but things change."

"My visions aren't like my aunt's." Cricket was in the doorway, looking pale despite the tan she'd gotten. "I don't see things based on the actions or decisions of someone. This vision hasn't changed. She'll wake up and give birth to two healthy boys. And she will go home with them. It hasn't changed. I'm with Bella. It's just a bump."

"Why didn't you see this?" I demanded.

She shook her head. "I don't know. Sometimes, even though I can choose what line to see, it doesn't show me everything. I've told you the end result. Expect your boys in a couple weeks. Until then, we watch her diet more closely. She'll be fine."

There was something different about her as she left the room. If I didn't know better, I'd say her feelings were hurt. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Edward nod. Damn. Was it me? He tilted his head in such a way that I knew it was supposed to be a shrug.

I looked to Nessie, then to Carlisle. "Is she stable?"

He nodded. "Her fever has gone down. Heart rate is good. The fluids are helping."

"Okay. If she wakes up, yell."

After kissing her forehead, I went to find Cricket. She was sitting on the beach, knees pulled up to her chest, toes in the sand.

"You should be inside with Ness," she said without turning around.

Sighing, I sat down next to her, wrapping my arms around my knees. "She's stable. The forced rest will be good for her. I actually feel like I should be out here apologizing. I hurt your feelings, didn't I?"

She lifted a shoulder in what I knew was meant to be a nonchalant shrug, but it was anything but that.

Leaning over, I nudged her. "Talk to me, kid. Rip me a new one. I know it's a bad day when you don't call me Kujo at least once."

She smiled but said, "I'm not that much younger than you, you know."

I chuckled. "Yeah, I know. Come on, yell at me."

She didn't yell, but what she did say hurt me. "Why can't you trust me? You and Nessie took me in. Why would I lie?"

Sighing again, I looked out over the water. "It's not that I think you're lying, Cricket. I know you're not. But over the years, I've learned not to trust visions. It's going to take some time to be able to trust yours. And it's nothing against you. It's just, this is my wife, my family. When this is all over-the babies born and Ness healthy on the other side- I'll feel better both about your visions and starting to trust them."

"I know their names," she said quietly.

I looked over at her. "What?"

She turned to me. "I know what you name the boys. I've known since the first vision I had of them. The one detail I didn't know was that they're both boys. I knew one of them would be, but the other was up for grabs."

Surprise widened my eyes. "Wow. Ness and I haven't even touched on names. I'm not sure if I want to know or come up with them. How will we tell them apart?"

"They're identical, except for the eyes. The younger of the two will have black eyes. His name will match them. The oldest will have really dark brown. I really don't know how you come up with his name, but I like it. I think Nessie comes up with it. But you name the youngest."

"Well, I guess I'll have to think about it then. Black eyes, huh? Sounds a little evil."

She chuckled. "Oh, he'll be far from. You know, you think you're not that close to Will, but you're wrong. He loves you very, very much. You and your sons are going to be very close, the way a father is supposed to be with his children."

"Jules?"

"Always a daddy's girl," she said with a chuckle. "But she's going to be the one to keep them all together. Her brothers will do anything for her. Though she's the second child, they'll treat her like she's the baby. That whole 'don't mess with her' mentality. The same with their mother."

That made me chuckle and fill with pride. Apparently, I'll raise them right where women are concerned. "What about you? Don't you want kids?"

A sad look passed over her face. "I would love to, but…"

"But?"

"I can't. Physically speaking. I can't give Trey children."

I didn't know what to say that so I just wrapped my arm around her shoulders and pulled her to my side. She let a few tears fall before pressing her face into my shoulder. I held her while she cried.

"I'm sorry, Cricket. So sorry. I know that it doesn't compare to having your own, but there are plenty of kids out there who would love a good home. Abandoned babies. Abused teenagers with nobody to trust. Look at Tricia and Haleigh. I'll tell you, it was a great feeling to have Xavier coming to me. But getting him to trust me was the best part. He didn't trust anyone. I guess I adopted him as a little brother. You can still have a family, just a little different."

Sniffling, she pulled back to lean against me. "You think so?"

"I know so. Cricket, you have such a bright personality that I know you're going to be wonderful with kids. The children of the pack love you to death. Any kid, baby or older, would be lucky to have you as a mom. You have that spark that lost kids will gravitate toward. And Trey? A little weird, but a really good guy. You have an amazing, relaxed relationship. A bunch of those kids up for adoption don't know what it's like to have a good home with good people who love each other to take care of them. I know that it's hard on you that you can't have your own, but just imagine that you bring this kid home with you, a kid who's had to fight to survive in the system. Imagine that you bring him home, show him kindness, and then one day, he steps up to you and says 'I love you, mom'. Be good to them and they'll be good to you. You know, if I'd had a different life and Ness wasn't able to have kids, I'd have loved to adopt, and not just a baby, but a kid who's been put through his paces. To slowly build his trust, to show him that the world isn't as bad as he believed, to give him the chance he deserved. You never know what priceless gem you'll have dug up."

She sniffled as she pulled back and wiped her eyes, giving a little laugh. "You know, you should give motivational speeches."

I laughed. "Oh no. I only give them to people I know, to people I trust. Hell I'm not even that great at them, but sometimes, I get it right."

Wrapping her arms around her legs again, she rested her chin on her knees. "You're a really good man, Jacob. Your mom would be proud."

I looked up to the sky where the stars were starting to twinkle and wondered if my mom really could watch over us, if her spirit really did live on. "I hope you're right, Cricket. God knows I've screwed up."

"Yeah but you always try to fix it. Most of the time you even succeed."

"Speaking of which, I'm sorry for how I talked to you earlier."

She shrugged. "You're scared. And you are right. Just like my aunt, I have holes in my visions. But the difference is that the conclusions I see _never change._"

Her eyes met mine with such intensity that it made she shudder from the force of it.

I nodded. "Alright, Cricket. You've had your visions long before I met you. There's nobody who knows them the way you do. I give you my word that I will try really hard to trust it."

"Thank you." She gave me a rare real smile. "Come on. Let's go get some grub. I could eat like one of you guys right about now."

Once I was on my feet, I helped her up. Laughing, I hugged her. "Yeah I could eat, too. I'm sure Esme or Bella has something to whip up."

Walking inside arm and arm with Cricket, I finally felt like we were friends, not just acquaintances. It was a good feeling.

**TriciaPOV**

Almost freaking February and I _still_ hadn't heard a word from my parents. I'd at least expected some sort of Christmas card or a letter. Something. Anything. But nope. Nothing.

So that was why I decided not to wait for Jacob and Nessie's return. I'd told Embry that I was going to come up here to talk to them. He wasn't happy about the action itself, but he liked that I'd told him and not gone behind his back. Luckily today it was just cold, freezing actually. Snow was in the forecast. Kind of made me want to go join the others on the island. I'd always wondered how I would look with a tan.

Pulling my coat tighter to my throat, I was about to walk around my mom's car when the front door to the house opened. Mom stepped out with a clear garbage bag that I could tell wasn't holding trash. Ducking behind the car, I watched as she hummed her way down the walkway to the giant trash can and smiled when she dumped it, sighing triumphantly. I waited to hear the lock on the door after she went in to let me know that she wasn't coming back out. When I straightened up, I noticed bags in the back seat of her car. They were full of clothes. What was left of mine and Walker's.

"What the hell?"

When I got to the trash can, I could also see the remnants of my bed frame on the other side of it. Lifting the lid of the can, I gasp and almost dropped it. I grabbed it just before it could slam shut. Everything that was me and Walker had been dumped. Stuffed animals, baby things. Pictures. Even all our home videos. At first, I couldn't process this. They were literally throwing us away, getting rid of us. And she'd been _smiling._

In a fury, I ran up to the front door only to realize that my key wouldn't work. They'd changed the locks. Growling, I rapped a fist on the door.

A moment later, the woman who'd raised me opened it. When she registered that it was me, her expression turned to disgust and disapproval. "What are you doing here?"

Angrily, I slashed a hand back at the trash. "What are you doing? That's all of our stuff!"

She actually sneered. "I'm aware of that, girl. If you want it feel free. David and I have to purify this house. The sooner that garbage is gone, the better."

"What?!" I shrieked. "We're your kids! And since when have you ever called me 'girl'?"

"Since you left us for that beast. Walker is no longer my son. He's evil and a monster. I want nothing of him in this house. And as for you? You married a monster. You-you let that thing touch you," she spat. "It's disgusting and perverted. And that child, Haleigh. I pray for her soul. She can't help who her parents were or are. Maybe the Good Maker will grant her mercy."

In shock, I stepped back and stared at her with my own disgust. "What the hell is wrong with you? Since when have you become religious?"

"Since your…David and I have realized that this world is truly filled with evil. I suppose we have you and Walker to thank for that. God will reign and protect us. He'll put down those dogs like the filthy animals they are."

My hand cracked across her face. "That's enough. You watch your mouth when you talk about them." She gasped and pressed a hand to her cheek. By now, I was blazing with a fiery rage. "Those 'animals' are the ones that keep you safe from the evil in this world. If God does exist, then He put them here for a reason. Did you ever think about that? You are still alive because of Embry, Jacob, and Walker. If not for them, this place would be crawling with _evil_." Shaking my head, I sneered at her. "Man, I am so glad I picked the right side. You and _David _are so stupid and blind."

At the moment, I had to turn away from her because if I looked at her any longer, I'd hit her again. Digging into my pocket, I grabbed my phone and dialed Walker.

"Hey," I yelled.

"Tricia?"

"Yeah. I need to ask you something."

There was a slight hesitation. He could hear the anger in my voice. "Uh sure."

"Do you want any of your baby stuff or anything that you may left in your old bedroom?"

There was a shift on the line. "No, not really. Tricia, what's going on?"

"Are you sure?" I demanded heatedly. "What of you have a son someday? None of your baby stuff?"

"No. I don't believe in hand-me-downs when it comes to that kind of stuff. You know that. Now what the hell is going on? You're pissed and it's making me angry just on principle."

"Our dear _mother_," I spat, making sure he knew it was an insult, "has decided that she and _Dad _have found religion. You're an evil monster that has replaced her son and I am filthy pervert who enjoys bestiality."

"What?! She actually said that?"

I spun around so I could glare at her. "Absolutely. What's left of our clothes are packed up in the car. Everything else is in the fucking trash. On the plus side, she said she's praying for Haleigh's soul because it wasn't her fault she was born to two animals."

The woman- I couldn't even consider calling her my mother anymore- just arched a brow and crossed her arms.

"Put her on the phone."

I held it out. "He wants to talk to you."

She shook her head. "Absolutely not. I am not touching you or anything that belongs to you. It's all contaminated. I had to wear gloves putting that stuff in the bags."

Barely controlling the new flare of rage, I pressed the speaker button. "You're on speaker, Walker. She won't touch anything of ours without gloves."

"Mom," he said in a calm voice. "What's going on?"

"Everything your perverted sister said is true. If you want your stuff, come dig it out of my garbage. Neither of you have claim to the title of my children anymore. My son and daughter are dead."

Walker made a strangled noise over the line as my eyes watered. "Mom," he pleaded. "Don't do this. Please. It's still us. I'm still your baby boy."

For a moment, her eyes wavered and I could tell that the ice was melting just a little.

But then, Walker sank the ship. "We're just different now, Mom. I can't help what happened to me. I was attacked, and Embry was born that way."

Right in front of me, she gathered herself back up and her eyes went cold. "And yet your sister is still human. She sleeps with a dog consensually."

"Then I guess I'll just have to change that. I can actually be the bitch in heat!"

Anger flushed red up her neck and cheeks. "Get your stuff, get off my property, and _never _come back," she hissed through her teeth and then slammed the door and locked it.

"With pleasure," I gritted out.

"I can't believe it," Walker's voice floated from the phone.

I held it up. "I'll call you later. I'm going to grab some stuff." I hung up before he could say anything.

It took me thirty minutes to dig through the stuff. I had to keep rubbing the tears out of my eyes. There was a vague sense that my phone was ringing, but my brain just couldn't or wouldn't register it. When I was done, I found my little wagon under the remnants of my chopped up bed frame. After stuffing the bags into the wagon, I walked to Embry's shop. It was much closer than walking home.

When I got there, he was just walking out the door. He grinned having not yet noticed my expression as I froze and stood paralyzed. "Hey, devil. I've been trying to call you. I was just about to come see you, make sure…" He stopped and narrowed his eyes as he got closer. Once he'd assessed that I wasn't physically damaged, he went all angry protective. "What the hell happened? And what is all that stuff?"

I must have gone into shock on my way to the shop because I couldn't keep my eyes focused. My body was shaky and cold. I couldn't breathe through my constricted throat. "She…no, _they_, disowned us. Just erased us like we never even existed."

"What?"

"For all intents and purposes, we're orphans now. Like they just died."

Embry hurried to me and cupped my face with his ridiculously hot hands. "Jesus, you're freezing. Come on. Let's get you inside." Without any more questions, he dumped the wagon and bags into the truck and then led me inside.

The whole time, the word "orphan" kept playing over and over in my head. Embry asked one of the mechanics to watch the front counter and then we were back in his office. He closed and locked the door before sitting me on the couch and kneeling in front of me. Cupping my hands in his, he blew his breath into the enclosed space, warming my numbed fingertips.

"Tricia, please talk to me. You're freaking me out."

Finally, I looked at him. My beautiful, strong husband with those warm, loving, worried brown eyes. The man I loved more than anything. And she'd called him an animal, like he was crazed with rabies.

"It's over," I whispered. "There's nothing to think about. I want to be changed." I wanted to wipe out my humanity the way my mother had eradicated anything left of me and Walker from her life and her home.

Embry studied my face and stroked my hair. "Tell me what happened. Please."

I knew that if he had to ask again, it would be a command. So I replayed the scene out loud. He growled throughout, lips curling over his teeth.

"So essentially," I finished, "I'm a pervert. You and Walker are evil incarnate. And my brother and I are orphans. Those bags? I grabbed what I could. The clothes weren't important. I just grabbed the picture albums and the baby stuff, just in case. Walker might change his mind."

Before I knew it, Embry had me off the couch and in his arms. "Baby, I am so sorry. I know how you feel, or did feel, about them. Really, I wanted it to work out, for you to have them in your life. But sometimes things aren't supposed to work out that way. You were right."

I blinked at him. "I was?"

He nodded. "Yeah. New beginnings."

Meeting his eyes, I stroked my thumbs over his cheekbones. "New beginnings," I whispered. "I want to change."

He gripped my wrists, his thumbs running over my pulse. "I know. We'll talk to your brother. But first you need to go home, take a hot shower, and sleep. This was a nasty, unnecessary shock.

"Okay, yeah. Um, could you bring that stuff home?" I asked, going for the door. "I don't know that I could really handle it right now."

He frowned. "What are you talking about?" Walking to the desk chair, he grabbed his jacket and then the keys from the top drawer. "I'm taking you home. You really think I'm going to leave you alone when you need me?"

"But the shop?"

Opening the door, he led me down the hall. "Don't worry about that. Hey, Mark, I'm gonna step out for a while."

The man at the counter looked up. He was old enough to be Embry's dad with brown hair that had a little grey at the temples and clear blue eyes. "Are you coming back?" he asked after he got a good look at me.

"I'm not sure actually. Family stuff."

With an understanding nod, all Mark said was, "Ah. Well, the rest of the day's almost over. I can close up."

"You sure?"

He nodded again. "Yeah. Sheila went to Seattle for the weekend to visit our daughter."

Embry frowned. "Why didn't you tell me? I would have let you off."

Mark chuckled and wiped his hands on an oil-stained rag. "Nah. They need some latte and shopping girl therapy."

The mention of mother/daughter bonding had me tearing up again.

Mark looked worriedly at me. "You okay, hun?"

Embry answered for me. "Like I said, family problems."

The man nodded again as if he understood. "Well, I'll call you when I close up. You might want to get her home. She's not looking too good."

Embry shook his hand. "Thanks, man. I appreciate it."

They said their goodbyes and we were almost to out the door when something made me turn back to look at Mark. "Hey, can I ask you a question?"

He looked up from the counter in surprise. I'd never met him before but Embry's employees knew who I was. "Sure, hun. What is it?"

"Would you ever disown your daughter?"

"Pardon?" he asked, blinking.

I found myself walking back toward the counter. "Your daughter. Would you disown her? For any reason, possible and impossible?"

He frowned but said, "No. Never. I couldn't do that, no matter what."

"Even if she was adopted?"

Embry gripped my shoulder. "Tricia, don't beat yourself up."

I shrugged him off and faced Mark. "No, I want an answer. If she was adopted, not your blood, could you disown her then?"

Mark walked around the counter to stand in front of me. The fatherly look he gave me, as if he understood what I was talking about, just about made me bust out crying. "I can't imagine that I would, sweetheart," he said softly. He looked up at Embry, and in that moment, I knew that he knew what Embry was. "I would never love her any less no matter who she made a home with."

At that, I did start crying. Great, weeping sobs. Before Embry could get to me, Mark pulled me into his arms and rocked me, stroking my hair. "It's okay, sweetheart. There isn't anything wrong with what you have and with whom you have it. Your momma and daddy are fools who have no idea what they've given up. Every little girl is precious."

On and on, he rocked me, stroking my hair and telling me things my father should have been telling me. That I was special.

After a while, I calmed down enough to pull away, embarrassed. "Wow, I am so sorry," I said, wiping my eyes.

Mark smiled kindly. "Don't be. What your father has done is wrong. Listen, your husband has taken good care of us, and I am pretty sure most of it is your influence on him. A good woman always makes a man better. If you ever need something in the way of fatherly advice, feel free to ask. Both of you." He looked at Embry. "I know your father's never been around. It's a small town and people talk."

Embry came forward to shake his hand again. "Thank you."

Mark smiled and then shooed us out. "Go. Take care of your wife."

What seemed like seconds later, we were pulling up at the house. Once we were in the house, Embry said, "You go take a hot shower. I'll call Walker."

"No," I said too fast. "I-I need…I mean…"

He nodded. "Of course."

We stayed in the shower until the water ran cold and Embry had to hold me against his body for me to feel any warmth. I was drawing on my robe when the doorbell rang. Not surprisingly it was Walker. As soon as he was in the house, he pulled me into his arms. We stayed like that for a long time, but my eyes stayed dry. I'd cried all I was going to for them. It was over. In the shower, I'd mentally closed the door on my old life. This was my new one.

"When do you want to do it?" Walker asked.

"What?"

"The infection," he said, pulling back. "When?" When I didn't answer, he said, "I won't have you stay the same species as them a moment longer than you want." His face was flushed with anger, eyes shimmering with emotion. He'd lost both of his parents and yet he was more worried about me, a girl who wasn't even his blood.

I tightened my hold on his waist. "I love you, Walker. So much." Pulling back, I stood between my two guys. "As soon as possible."

"I agree," Embry said, stepping up. "But I think we should talk to Caden first." When I looked at him sharply, he finished quickly with, "Not to talk you out of it but to prepare you."

Walker nodded. "Good idea. I still don't feel all that qualified."

There wasn't any harm in the request. Besides, it would help me, not hurt. "Okay, but Walker, when the time comes, I want you to do it."

"What?" His sherry eyes studied my face to see if I was serious.

I was.

"I want you to infect me. I want to be your sister in more than just paperwork. We're family; it's time we share something."

We met gazes, our bond solidifying more than ever.

He nodded. "Okay. I'll do it."

Wrapping my arms around him again, I felt relief for the first time in what seemed like forever.

"That's gonna be a lot of alpha females," Walker said over my shoulder.

I smiled at the pride in his voice.

"Absolutely," Embry said, his own pride shining through.

So this was what a new beginning felt like. Amazing.

**February**

**JPOV**

"Will you please stop pacing?!" Shelby gritted between her teeth.

Cricket shook her head. "I can't. Something's wrong."

Shelby and I had been watching her pace for about three hours now. I was starting to agree with Shelby.

"What do you mean something's wrong?" I asked as she made her ten thousandth circuit around the living room.

"Today." She made a gesture with her hand to punctuate the word. "I know that it was supposed to be today."

I checked my watch. "It's only noon."

Her hair flew with the force of her head shake. "Something should have happened by now." Finally she stopped and looked at me. "No contractions? Nothing?"

"Not that I'm aware of."

"Son of a…! Ow!"

Shelby and I spun around on the couch. Cricket's head snapped up.

Nessie was standing in the doorway to the kitchen, one hand on the door jamb, the other on her back. Her chest rose and fell with her heavy breathing.

I was up off the couch before her next breath. "Ness?"

"I'm okay," she said gripping my forearms. "Contraction. Major contraction."

Carlisle was there a moment later. "Is that the first one?"

She nodded. "Yeah but it felt like one of the contractions that I get right before I start pushing."

"Jacob, help me get her to the bed. Let's check the dilation."

Ness let us help her turn around and go back the way she'd come. After she'd woken up from passing out due to the dehydration, she'd been all about listening to us. A fact for which everyone was grateful. It took a couple minutes to get her onto the bed and situated. While Carlisle prepped to check everything down below, Edward took her vitals.

"What's happening?"

Bella was in the doorway with all the other women.

"Contraction," Nessie answered.

Shelby and Bella moved forward at the same time.

"I'm fine, guys. Really. It was just intense."

"Understatement," Carlisle said, emerging from under the sheet across Nessie's knees. "Ness, you're already dilated to seven, nearly eight centimeters."

She and I shared a look. "What? How is that possible?" she asked.

Carlisle shook his head. "It just is. What do you feel? Any bearing down?"

"No, not that I can feel."

He snapped his gloves off. "Well, it feels like the babies are in proper position. No cords where they're not supposed to be."

"Can I walk around?"

Indecision warred on his face. "Stay close to this room. I need to prepare. You need to be prepared for the possibility that I may have to perform a C-section. Most women carrying multiples have to go through it. Some doctors don't offer the choice."

She hesitated before nodding. "I understand. Whatever it takes to keep them safe."

I looked at Carlisle. "The three of them. Whatever it takes to keep the three of them safe."

"Of course."

We got Nessie down from the bed. Her stomach was so huge that she now had to grab onto someone whenever she walked or waddled.

"Blood," she said as she gripped my wrist. "I need some blood. I haven't had any today and I need to be strong."

"You want some of mine?" I asked, helping her up onto a bar stool.

Even after all this time, she still looked uncomfortable about it. "You know I don't want to ask."

"And you don't have to." Going around into the kitchen, I grabbed a glass and a steak knife. Before I sliced my wrist, I made sure that none of the kids were around. Esme, Rosalie, and Alice had taken them out around the island after Cricket told them things would start happening today. Nevertheless, I checked around anyway and then put the blade to my skin. After filling the cup nearly to the rim, I put it in front of her and then put my wrist under running water. It would heal in a couple minutes. Her bite wound had taken longer to heal because it had been another supernatural creature to bite me. If Ness had been fully human, it would have healed instantly.

She hissed three times before she finished the glass. Each contraction was six minutes apart.

When she put the empty glass down and swallowed the last gulp, I watched for changes. The boys always got active when she drank my blood. If one of them kicked just right…

Her loud gasp was followed by the sound of rushing water.

"Carlisle!"

We carried her back to the bed while she did her breathing exercises.

"I feel it now," she managed to choke out.

Carlisle looked to me and Edward. "Not even an hour." He ducked under the sheet once more for a couple minutes before surfacing again. "Ness, are you ready?"

She sat up. "I'm fully dilated?"

Carlisle nodded.

Nessie looked to me. "Jacob?"

"Always," I said, climbing up onto the bed behind her just like I had with our first two children.

**RPOV**

Gripping Jacob's wrists, I turned to kiss him. "Let's meet our boys."

He kissed me back and smiled. "Let's do it. I'm right here. The whole way."

The truth was, I was terrified. My single births were hard enough. But all that meant was that I had to stay focused and keep my breathing nice and even. That was tested when one of the babies moved down.

"Grampa."

"Ready?"

"More than you could ever know."

"Alright. I have a feeling this is going to be fast. The boys were conceived and developed really quickly. Chances are their births are going to be fast. So push when you're ready."

Another deep breath and I sat up higher against Jacob's broad chest. "Okay, boys. Momma's ready to have her body back."

The first push was always the worst, but I didn't scream. I gritted my teeth.

**An hour and a half later…**

"Ash? Are you sure?" I asked for the fifth time. Jacob had come up with the name for the second born.

There was an irritated growl from the kitchen. "For the love of all things holy, YES! His name is Ash!"

Jacob chuckled, holding the baby we hadn't yet named. "Cricket said that I would name the youngest. His eyes are black, remind me of ashes. You are supposed to name this one," he said holding up the cradled baby.

Chuckling, I relaxed against the bed as Ash fed. "I don't even know where to begin trying. Can't Cricket just tell me what I supposedly come up with?"

"Do you want me to?"

Jacob turned, giving me a view of the door. She was standing there with her arms crossed and shoulder against the jamb.

"I have an idea, but…I just don't know."

"What is it? I'll tell you if you're right."

I looked at the baby in Jacob's arms. "Something that starts with 'M'. Something masculine." I tried out different names, but all of them were popular. I was sure it was a name I'd heard before but just couldn't remember, like it was on the tip of my tongue.

Cricket grinned. "Something you've heard before like…Maddox?"

The moment she said it, I knew it was perfect. Grinning, I looked at Jacob and nodded. "Maddox. I love it. Thank…" but she was already gone.

Jacob chuckled. "Middle names?"

I groaned. "Oh please. We gave them names. Can I just, you know, rest? My brain is the only thing about me that's alive. Everything else is running on autopilot."

He smiled. "Later. You need to rest."

Collapsing the rest of the way back, I stared down at my youngest baby. Ash smacked his lips and yawned.

Laughing, I played with his little hand. "I think he's tired, too."

"Well, yeah. Being forced out of a-,"

I gave him a sharp look.

He cleared his throat. "…tight space…would tire anybody out."

"Uh-huh," I said with a dry look. "Put them in the cribs and get in this bed with me."

Laughing, he put first Maddox then Ash in their cribs before changing into his sweats. As he climbed in beside me, he said, "Wow, so soon after?"

I punched his shoulder. "Shut up and hold me. My body hurts."

He wrapped his body around mine. I turned onto my side in his arms so that we could fall asleep to the sight of our children. Will and Jules were fast asleep in the pool of pillows at the mouth of the slide. Shelby had brought them in after the twins and I had been cleaned up. It didn't surprise me at all that both of them were fascinated and gentle with the babies. Jules had gravitated toward Ash, Will to Maddox. After a while of visiting, Mom had turned the lights down to calm them. It had worked. With Jules being the comfort hound of the two, she had found the most comfortable spot within proximity of us and laid down with Will.

I laughed softly.

"What?" Jacob asked, kissing my shoulder.

"Our little pack," I whispered. "You promised me a pack of kids and here we are."

"Here we are. Jules will be our only girl."

The decision to have Carlisle fix me up was both easy and hard. Jacob and I would live for a very long time. Our kids may not, especially if they imprinted on humans. We could lose them all. But then again, if we lost them, I knew that I'd feel the same as Shelby: like I'd be replacing them. And there was no way I could do that. Jacob had agreed with me. Besides, he'd said, we could always adopt if the worst should happen.

I stroked his forearm. "True, but I think four is quite enough. Besides, the boys will need a female anchor that isn't me. Since Jules is her father's daughter, I know she'll be able to handle it." Turning, I smiled up at him. "We did it, Jacob. We survived this. We're all going home."

He squeezed me gently. "Yes, we are. Did you happen to see what today is?"

Frowning, I looked up at him. "What?"

"Nobody's mentioned it all day, but I didn't find it weird until now. Our sons were born on Valentine's Day."

I gasped as I realized he was right. Cricket had gotten the house into a tizzy with her vision that none of us had thought to remember that February fourteenth was a holiday. "Oh my god. You're right. How did I miss this?"

His chuckle reverberated through my back. "You were a bit busy, baby. I missed it, too. But I love you, Nessie. Always. And I really don't think you'll ever be able to trump this gift."

Tears rolled down my cheeks. I laughed a little. "I think you're right. I love you, Jacob. You've given me so much. Love. A family. I can't believe we've actually done it."

I felt his lips in my hair. "Well, we have. And now it's time for you to rest. You did all the hard work. I'll wake you when they need to be fed again. Let the meds work."

He was right. Carlisle had given me some mild sedatives to help me sleep through the left over pain. It was wonderful to have my body back, to be able to sleep. Granted my body was even more stretched out than before, but by sons had arrived safely. I could deal with the extra weight for a while. I just wanted to enjoy the fact that my family was here and complete and safe with my husband wrapped around me.

Just thinking about the future lulled me into that in between state. Add to that the rhythm of Jacob's heart against my spine and I was down for the count, happily sinking into the temporary darkness.

* * *

***Clears throat* I present to you...The TWINS! They have arrived! And rather quickly. So who's excited to see Will and Jules with the two boys? I am! Remember, please feel free to review or PM me. I always try to answer my messages and reviews. I love you guys so much! xoxoxoxoxo**


	6. Chapter 6

**Alright, guys! This and one more chapter! So excited! I absolutely love this chapter, but it's causing me to realize that I'd planned for things that aren't going to happen in the kids' stories. And we meet a new character. He's really cool. I like him. I know, I know. It's at the end of the story that we meet him, but I'm pretty sure he'll show up in the kids' stories. If you have any questions about him, let me know!**

***Disclaimer***

**Please Enjoy!**

* * *

**April**

**Back in Forks.**

**JPOV**

Resting my chin on Nessie's shoulder, my arms around her waist, I was euphoric to be back at home with our newborn sons. We'd just put them down for a nap. Born only two months ago, they were already out of the newborn stage. They'd stretched out, gained weight, and grown. Both Ness and I were more than relieved about that. The fragility of a newborn terrified me, especially with two uncoordinated toddlers running around.

"Before long, they'll be running around with Will and Jules," she whispered, echoing my thoughts.

Pressing my mouth to her shoulder, I chuckled. "Yeah, I can't wait. But until then, we need to go downstairs and talk to Tricia."

We'd just gotten back from the island a couple days ago. Embry had called saying that Tricia needed to speak with us but would give us a couple days to settle in with the babies. On the trip back, I had started working on the plans to expand the house with Edward and Emmett. I still wasn't sure whether or not to add another bedroom for when the twins got older. Would they want to share a room or want their own space? So, I'd put that off for the last decision to be made.

Ness rubbed her hands over my arms. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

The nightlights and monitors were already in place. Thankfully, we'd given Jules and Will the smaller of the three extra bedrooms. But even those were still Master bedroom huge. In a normal house, the twins' room would be considered a game room. On the way out, I softly closed the door most of the way. Even though we had two monitors, one for each baby, we still liked to have the door opened, just in case. Ness led the way downstairs into the living room just in time for a knock on the door. While she sat down, I answered it. Tricia, Embry, Walker, and Christa were there. After letting them in and getting everybody something to drink, we sat down.

"How was everything?" Christa asked.

Ness and I exchanged a look.

"Interesting," she said. "And intense. But we made it and the boys are safe."

Before anybody could say anything else, Will and Jules squealed around the couch to throw themselves on their aunts and uncles. They passed around hugs and kisses before coming over to me and Ness. Will crawled up beside me, leaning into my side. Jules curled up in her mother's lap, hiding in her hair.

I laughed. "As much as they liked the beach, they missed home."

"Good taste," Embry said with a smile, rubbing Tricia's back.

I'd heard about her run in with her mother and the shock that had followed. But right now, she seemed in control and calm sitting between her husband and her brother.

Leaning back, I put my arm across the back of the loveseat, fingers playing in Nessie's hair. "Tricia, would you like to tell us what happened?"

She went through her story with a tone that was nearly emotionless if not for the undercurrent of anger. At the end of it, she said, "I really wish I could say that it wasn't her, that she was brainwashed, but her eyes were clear. She knew exactly what she was saying to me. I mean, I could deal with being thrown out. But how she talked about Walker? Her own flesh and blood? And Embry?" She shook her head. "I am so done with the two of them. I want to be changed and for Walker to be the one to do it."

"That horrid…" Ness looked down at Jules who was looking up at her adoringly, "…woman," she finished. "I know it's not the same, but you have us, Tricia. We'd never do that to you."

Tricia smiled and it lit up her whole face. "No, it's not the same. It's better."

"We've already talked to Caden and Rhett," Walker said.

I frowned. "Why Rhett?"

"Caden said that since she wants to do this voluntarily, it could be a different dynamic."

"Makes sense." I leaned forward, elbows on my knees.

When the four of them chuckled, I followed their gazes. Beside me, Will was copying me. When I looked at him, he grinned up at me. I grinned back and patted his leg. "I guess all we have to do now is the deed itself, right?"

Walker nodded. "Caden said I don't have to bite her. A scratch with a claw should do it."

"When are you going to do it?" Nessie asked.

"As soon as possible," Tricia said. "I wanted Embry and Walker to talk to you, Jacob, because I know they both look up to you. I didn't want you to think they'd gone behind your back or anything. I'm done with trying to be sneaky and a pain in the butt. If I'm going to be a wolf, I need to learn to respect authority."

I looked over at Walker. "Are you going to make her part of your pack?"

He nodded. "There's not a specific ceremony for this kind of thing, but I felt it would be proper to do this on my land, in front of the pack as a sign that she's to be one of us. Bianca wants to make it a big celebration because Tricia's my sister."

"Will you be there? I'd love it if you'd come."

"Of course," Nessie answered. "We'd be honored."

I agreed. "We can leave the kids with the Cullens."

"Don't have to do that, Jake," Walker said. "My pack is good with kids. Even the single males. And I'm sure Haleigh would love to see them. It won't be any trouble."

Ness and I shared another look. She smiled. I sighed. "Yeah, we'll bring them. When?"

"Next weekend. Bianca needed a bit of time to get stuff together."

"Sounds good."

Christa and Tricia shared an excited look before looking to Nessie. Christa said, "I know they're sleeping, but can we sneak in?"

"Please?" Tricia added.

Chuckling, Nessie nodded. Standing up, she turned and sat Jules next to Will. "Stay down here with Will and Daddy, okay?"

"Otay, Momma."

Then she led the two women upstairs.

"You look tired, Jake," Embry said with a smile.

I sighed. "Ya think? Making the babies was easy."

Both men laughed.

"But in all honesty, guys, it's amazing. Four kids. All healthy and growing like weeds. It's still surreal that I'm a dad, you know? That I helped my wife birth four kids." I looked at Will and Jules beside me, so proud of them already.

"Christa wants one of our own."

I nodded. "I can imagine. Having a baby is so much different than adopting after the baby stage. She'll make a good mom." I turned to Embry. "What about you and Tricia?"

He leaned forward, mirroring me. Until Jules crawled over Will and into my lap. She leaned against my chest with her sippy cup. "We're going cold until she changes. Don't want to get pregnant before the change. Caden said we should wait until she actually shifts for the first time. We shouldn't expect what happened with Shelby to happen for us, as a precaution."

Walker hissed in sympathy. "I know she's my sister, but cold? That's gonna hurt, man."

I winced in remembering my own pain from before Ness and I had ever become intimate. Shower times had been the best times of days.

Embry chuckled. "Well, not _completely _cold. We still have hands."

Walker made a push away gesture. "Dude, that's enough. She's my sister."

Embry punched him in the shoulder. "You brought it up."

It was good to see them getting along, a brotherly sort of bonding.

"We also heard that Ness had Carlisle fix her up."

I nodded. "Yeah. With our track record, we don't want anymore. Four is enough. And frankly, I'm done worrying about the pregnancies. This one was terrifying enough that I'll have nightmares for years. Besides, later down the road, if they imprint with humans and we have to let them go, we don't want to feel like we're replacing them if we were to get pregnant again. This way, we don't have to worry about it since we can't use protection."

"Amen to that," Walker said. "No judgment here. You've done your repopulating. It's nobody's business what you do with yourselves."

Embry nodded. "Absolutely. We have our next alpha," he said, smiling at Will. "Nobody can say that you didn't do your job."

I looked at my son and ruffled his hair. "Hopefully, he won't have to go through the same crap we did."

"At least he has a dad that can teach him from experience."

I looked at the two men and wondered what they saw in me. Walker was a leader in his own right. Why did he come to me for permission, or feel the need to run things by me? Granted, I ran things by him, but out of respect. His sister was married to one of my wolves. And just because Embry was a Quileute wolf didn't mean that he had to follow me. He could have gone off and lived his life elsewhere if he'd wanted. I wasn't forcing him to stay here. Maybe it was the principle of the thing. We'd grown up, phased, and fought together. That kind of life created bonds that nobody or nothing could really destroy.

I dipped my head in a nod. "Thanks, guys."

In the next moment, the women were back downstairs. When we stood up, Christa and Tricia took turns hugging me.

"They're so adorable," Tricia said.

"Absolutely," Christa agreed. "We're so glad that everyone came home safely." She looked over at Nessie. "And I really hate to be nosy but we heard about, you know, craving Jake's blood."

Ness looked up to me. I shrugged. It didn't have to be a dirty secret. Shit happens. I knew that.

She shrugged back. "It was the boys, I guess. But we really can't explain why it was Jacob's blood I wanted so bad. It never happened before. But we managed to control it enough until the boys were born."

"So, you're okay?" Tricia asked.

Nessie grinned. "I'm not craving his blood anymore, if that's what you mean. It still tastes good but I don't have to have it."

The girls went to their men.

"Well," Tricia said, looking up at Embry. "We should be going. I'm sure you want some peace and quiet after a house full of people the last few months."

"And we should go before Haleigh decides to kill Garrett," Christa said.

Walker got this smug, proud look on his face. "In that case, we should drive very slowly back home."

Christa gave him a dry look and a playful punch while the rest of us laughed. "Shut up, you." She turned back to us. "So we'll see you this weekend?"

"Absolutely," Nessie said hugging her. "And if you want to drop by during the week, feel free. Jacob is going into the shop all week to play catch up. It'll be just me and the kids."

Embry stepped forward to hug her. "I'll send her up. She'll talk herself out of it. I'm glad you're okay. Jake would have gone nuts without you."

"Well, I'm here."

She hugged Walker, and then they left. Will and Jules had fallen asleep on the couch.

"Nap time for everyone apparently," I said with a chuckle.

Ness giggled. "Clearly. You take one, I'll get the other."

She went for Jules, leaving me with Will. We carried them up to their rooms and tucked them in. When we met at the top of the stairs in the hallway, both of us looked at each of the rooms. No doubt we were both still amazed that we'd filled this house up so quickly.

I squeezed her waist. "How you feelin', Momma?"

She grinned. "Like I'm not a kid anymore. Like, it's not us chasing each other, trying to figure out how we feel or some stupid crap like that. We're here. It's so weird to know that these four kids depend on us, on me, to survive. I feel so…blessed."

Holding her tighter, I pressed my cheek to the top of her head. "I know what you mean. I never thought that I would have this. Even after I imprinted on you. I just thought that we'd end up being best friends and I'd have to watch you fall for someone else."

Pulling back, she smiled up at me. "How could I not choose you? You've always been everything I've ever needed. Besides, you know me better than anyone else does. Why would I want to start that process all over again?" She shook her head and pressed her ear to my chest. "Nah. I'm perfectly perfect with you. No other man could ever be to me what you are."

"I feel the same way about other women. If I lose you, that's it for me. I'd concentrate on the kids, and any grandkids, but I'd never be able to find another woman."

Taking my hand, she went for the stairs. "Come on. No more talking about that. I'm here with you and the kids. I'm not going anywhere."

"Where are we going?" I asked when she pulled me past the kitchen.

"Oh, I don't know. It's been well over a month since I had the twins, and I've missed my husband."

I was in absolute awe over her. She'd given me four beautiful kids in the space of only a few years. I could barely remember the time before Will's birth where it had just been me and her. All the drama, the stupid fights, the actual battles. This new life was peaceful in a way that didn't involve bloodshed. Other than that, all the action was family drama, which was something I could take any day. I'd finally been given something wonderful, something I had never in a million years thought I would be lucky enough to have: a beautiful, grown Nessie and a house full of gorgeous kids.

As she led me down the stairs to our room, I could see part of the scar Jane had left behind of her teeth in Nessie's skin. My wife was a fighter. And I loved her more and more every day.

**RPOV**

The next morning, Jacob fed the twins while I pumped more milk. Feeding two was a bit harder, but we managed. They would be grown out of it soon. Maddox and Ash had grown so much already, but it seemed as if the two of them had grown another couple inches overnight. My boys were huge.

Jules woke up long enough to say bye to Daddy before Jacob had to leave for the shop. She was out of her fit-throwing phase, but I could tell she still wasn't happy as she climbed up the stairs to go back to bed. Will never woke up. Out of the two of them, he was the heavy sleeper, but Jacob still kissed his forehead before he kissed me and left. Maddox and Ash were happily swinging and watching cartoons while I texted Tricia and Christa that they were free to come over whenever they were up for it. While I waited, I studied the house. It was so odd how nothing had seemed to change and yet everything had. Only a few months ago, I had passed out in front of this very couch, pregnant with the twins. Now, we were home with them. Healthy and growing like weeds in a field. They both looked so much like Will that it was uncanny sometimes. Maddox shared a similar personality. It was Ash who was the quiet one. He rarely fussed, only when he needed to be changed. Because that was what was different from his brother. They were always hungry or sleepy at the same time, which was a blessing.

"Mommy?"

Will stood at the end of the couch in his dinosaur pajamas. His hair was sticking up in every direction and his stuffed wolf was clutched in his arms

I smiled and held my arms out. "Hey, baby. You're up early. Are you hungry?"

He shook his head, bottom lip pouted.

"Wanna come sit with me and watch cartoons?"

Nodding, he came over to me and I picked him up, sitting him across my lap. He snuggled up to my chest, pacifier in his mouth while he watched the screen. Unlike Jules, he didn't like the pacifier all day. Just in the mornings at home. And if someone other than Jacob walked through the door, he'd spit it out. I wrapped my arms around him and rocked, resting my chin on his head. Not long after, Jules joined us. I was sitting in a partial fetal position so she tucked herself behind my knees against the couch, resting her head on my butt and hip. Reaching over, I stroked her unruly curls while she sucked on her own paci and watched cartoons. It was a quiet morning, the birds chirping outside. I had the drapes open, letting the weak light filter through.

About an hour later, Tricia texted back saying that they were on their way. Haleigh, Leah, and Claire were coming with them. It was about twenty minutes later that there was a knock on the door just as Maddox started to squawk. Diaper change. Will had moved off my lap to sit between the swings and Jules was still curled up on me. I moved so she knew I needed to get up. No hard feelings. She just grabbed her blanket and went to sit with Will.

"Come in," I called.

Christa opened the door just as I picked up a wailing Maddox. She cringed but smiled. "Hey. Didn't wake him up, did we?"

I shook my head and went for the stairs. "Make yourselves comfy. I just need to change him." After two previous kids, I was a master at the changing of the diaper. It didn't take long until he was cleaned and fixed up like the prince he was.

Picking him up, I rubbed my nose against his. "You feel better now, don't you?" When he gurgled, I said, "Yeah, I bet you do." Out of the three boys, Maddox looked most like their father. The eyes, hair, and bone structure that was already peeking through mirrored Jacob almost to perfection. This must have been what he'd looked like as a baby. There were pictures but holding a baby that was a copy of how my husband may have been was amazing. And he was a happy baby, always smiling and playful. Ash smiled, but it was that quiet happy. Dancing with him, I said, "Let's go see your aunts and cousins."

Downstairs, Haleigh and Claire were playing with Jules. Tricia was playing with Will, and Ash was being cooed over by Leah and Christa.

"Thanks for keeping them busy," I said.

"Not a problem," Leah said, smiling. She came over to me. "May I?"

Surprised, I grinned. "Of course."

Maddox went to her with a smile. I'd never seen her like this, so energetic and happy. But then again, according to my texting Tricia and Christa all the way back, Leah and Caden had been at it like rabbits since his episode. That mush sex, somebody was bound to be happy. But also, apparently Caden was also a different man now. He was better around the kids. Smiling more.

She cradled my son and rocked with him. He stuck his fist in his mouth and grinned up at her. She laughed. "I hope you don't mind if I visit you often, Nessie. One, I don't see you and Jacob enough. And two," she whispered, looking up at me, "I'm going to need the practice."

Tricia, Christa, and I all shared a surprised look.

"Leah?" I asked. "Are you…?"

She grinned. "Caden said I smelled different this morning. Remember how we were talking about Shelby's pregnancy and how the males were able to smell the pregnancy long before any tests could pick it up?"

I nodded.

She shrugged. "Turns out he was right. He was all excited this morning when I woke up. He's very certain that we've conceived. It'll be a couple weeks until a test can pick it up, but since he's been through this before, I trust his senses. And it's not just him. He said that his wolf is humming with excitement every time he looks at me."

Excited, I hugged her. "That is so wonderful, Leah! I know this is what you've been wanting. And Caden is happy?"

"Ecstatic. He's so different now. When he woke up from his memories, he said he was free."

"That's why we all came up here." Tricia said. At my confused look, she said, "Caden wants an official mating ceremony. Walker's is the only pack of their kind around. I thought we could do a whole festival this weekend since Walker wanted to make my being infected a thing. Leah and Caden could have the ceremony. If that's something that you would want to do," she finished, looking to Leah.

Leah looked up in surprise. "I don't want to ruin your day though."

Tricia waved it off. "What's to ruin? I'm just getting a scratch. If you want a ceremony in his culture before you tell everyone about the baby, now's the time. I really don't mind, Leah. If anything, I could put my thing off for a week or so. I didn't want it to be that big a thing anyway."

Leah had to clear her throat before she spoke again. "Man, I have really been a…not so nice person."

"What do you mean?" Christa asked, rocking Ash.

"I know that my personality has gotten better over the years since more females started phasing but I've still isolated myself, been less than welcoming. And here you guys are being ridiculously nice to me."

Reaching out, I tucked her hair behind her ear.

Christa walked over to us. "Leah, it's understandable. You phased after your father died and were alone with a bunch of guys. And of course, we all know about the imprinting story with Sam and Emily. You had every right not to want to be a part of this. Then Caden came along, a man mixed up with enemy. Imprinting on him and not being able to trust him must have been hard. Leah, you don't realize this but we all know you've been through a lot as the first female to phase and we respect the hell out of you. All we've ever wanted was to let you know that we're on your side."

Tricia and I nodded.

"Besides," Tricia added, "you and Caden have been through a lot, and mostly on your own. And despite his own issues, Caden has done a lot to help Walker. Let us do something to help the two of you. Please."

Leah sniffled, but smiled. "Let me talk to Caden tonight and I'll give you a call or text."

"Sounds good." I turned to Tricia. "So are you ready for this? It's kind of a big thing."

She sent Will to play with the girls, which he was all too happy to do, before coming to stand with us. "It's kind of scary. I mean, I'm worried that it won't work and Caden doesn't have any reassurances. He said we may have to do it a couple times. But I am ready for this change. I need it, especially after…" All three of us reached for her at the same time. She smiled. "At least they're okay, you know? No matter how angry I get, if they need me, I'll be there. I don't know about Walker, though."

Christa scoffed. "After what your mother said about all of us? Oh, no. I doubt he'd help them. Out of the two of you, you're the compassionate one. Once a bond is broken with Walker, it's over. He's not coming back."

"Yeah, I know. I remember that from Luke. Walker was done as soon as he saw that kid mess with me." She clapped her hands. "So what is everyone up to today?"

Leah shifted Ash in her arms. He was so content that it was amusing. "Caden and Garrett are training Haleigh today. We gotta get her back soon."

"Walker will be supervising, of course," Christa chimed in.

"Well," I said, "why don't we have a girls' day? We can go into Port Angeles and shop for Leah. That is, if you're okay toting the kids around. I hate dumping them on my parents."

"Shop for me? Why?"

"A mating dress, silly. I am not about to let you get mated to your soul mate in a tank and cut-offs. He can wear what he wants, unless my aunt gets a hold of him. But you, my dear," I said, threading my arm through hers, "need to knock him out."

"And of course, we won't mind the babies," Tricia said in her best "duh" voice. "Why do you think we came over?"

"Can we invite more people?" Leah asked.

"Of course. Who?"

"Becca, Rachel, Emily, and Morgan."

I grinned. "Absolutely. Can you guys call or text them while I get the kids ready?"

When they agreed and pulled out their phones, I called Will and Jules over. I knelt in front of them. "Do you wanna go shopping with me and your aunts?"

They nodded excitedly.

"Okay, well I need you to go upstairs and pick out your clothes, alright?"

Will reached out to grip his sister's hand. "Come on, Jues." And off they went.

I followed to get the giant diaper bag together. For the most part, Will and Jules were self-sufficient. They could dress themselves and brush their teeth. The only thing Jules had a problem with was brushing her hair. When both of them were ready, they joined me in the twins' room to help me pack the diapers and pull-ups. Will was in his big-boy underwear, but Jules still had problems every now and then so she liked to stay in the pull-up.

When we were done up there, I took the bag downstairs to fill with toys and bottles and pacifiers. Once that was done, I changed the boys. No matching outfits. That annoyed me to no end. We were all ready to leave and decided to take my SUV because of the car seats and extra room. Tricia had driven her Jeep that Embry had bought for her, so those who couldn't fit in with my four car seats rode with her. All four of the others said they'd come out, too. Emily had said that Sam was driving her nuts and she needed out. Rachel and Becca had been excited to hear from Leah because they'd been good friends when they were kids and had wanted to hang out with her since they were all together on the rez again. I'd wanted to meet up with Shelby, but she was already in Port Angeles and would meet up with us when we got there. Walker had sent a couple of his dominant males with us as a precaution. Adam, Derek, and Rhett had shown up as well before we left the small village.

Once we were all together, we realized we needed more cars. More kids, more car seats. Becca had left Henry with Tom so they could spend some time together. Haleigh would be with Caden and Walker all day. That left us with my four babies, Leila, and Ava. Piper and Brayden were with Shelby. Claire was staying with Haleigh. We all suspected that she'd phase soon. With the Cullens staying here for good, new wolves would phase in the new generation. Claire was now fifteen years old and was turning into a stunning young woman. Quil was at his most protective now with her in school and all the boys drooling over her, aggressively protective. What saved those boys was the fact that she ignored all of them. She knew about the imprinting and knew that Quil was hers when she was ready for the commitment. For fifteen, she was very mature.

It took a little over an hour to get to Port Angeles. When we got there, I checked the babies for any diaper changes in the back of the SUV. We were good and they were their normal, cheerful selves. Man, I'd gotten lucky. Not one of my kids had ever been fussy.

After I got Ash tucked back into his clothes, I reached for the stroller. A pair of tanned hands got there first. I looked up at one of Walker's wolves. He was massive with light brown hair and eyes to match. But something in the way he moved scared me. Most of the wolves I'd met were nice but some of them had fully embraced the animal and I'd often seen them watching the humans as if they were something to eat. This one was dangerous. He was strong and powerful, and not just his body. I could feel the strength of the wolf, the aura as Mara would call it. Bianca had said that a lot of the unmated males were enforcers, lethal bodyguards. They were the most animalistic and protected the pack at all costs. They also protected the pack leader when other packs visited. Not all of the single males were like this, but the enforcers rarely mated officially. Instead, their cubs were generally what humans would call bastards, born out of wedlock.

"I'll get that for you," he said with a deep voice that matched his massive chest.

For a moment, I lost my voice. Clearing my throat, I said, "Thank you."

His smile was slight, but it was there. "You don't have to be scared of me. I'd never hurt you. And I don't believe in hurting children." He took out the stroller and popped it open.

"I'm sorry. I'm just not used to your kind of wolf yet. Especially all the aspects of the pack."

He smiled again. "You mean the enforcers."

I nodded.

Those massive shoulders rose in a shrug. "We protect the pack at all costs. Now days, people would call us sociopaths. But we do have feelings. They just aren't as…important to us. For instance, I know that Walker thinks of you as a sister. He cares for you and Jacob, making you allies, family. That alone puts you under my protection as far as I'm concerned. But there's also the fact that you saved his life in that battle."

"And he saved mine."

"Exactly. It's a mutual alpha respect. You and your children are safe with us."

That made me breathe easier. Bianca had said that once you had the oath of an enforcer, they would die before they broke it. "What's your name again?"

"Brent."

"Right. Sorry. I don't know why I can't remember that."

He helped me put the babies in their seats and put the bag down in the pocket underneath. "That's the point. Enforcers are supposed to be shadows, unseen until we wish to be seen."

"That…sounds lonely."

This smile was a bit bigger than the last. "Maybe to those who wish for something more. I love my job. It might sound ruthless, but our world is different. It really is dog eat dog with us. In our world, you have to be strong or have a strong protector, or you die. I like being the protector. I suppose that it feels good to be needed, to be feared."

The way he handled my kids made me ask, "Do you have any children?"

He paused on the buckle for just a second. "I have several, but their mothers belong to other packs."

Mothers. Multiple. "I'm sorry. I tend to ask inappropriately personal questions."

Brent turned back to me with a real smile. "No harm. You have to understand that before Walker became our alpha, Edmund was…unstable. We traveled a lot. Though we were a visiting pack, he'd…unleash his enforcers upon the dominant females when the pack leaders pissed him off. It's customary for packs to offer bedmates for the single wolves in a visiting pack anyway, kind of as a welcome mat, just not their dominant females. I've fathered several cubs across the States."

"Do you ever see them?"

He shook his head. "Not all of them. It's best that I don't. While some of my lovers wanted to be with me, most of them did not, but did as they were told. I fear what those females have told the young about their father. I leave them with their mothers to give them the best chance. Those females that wanted to lay with me often find me if I stay in one place long enough. I speak with those cubs over the phone every now and again. Sometimes I go visit if the young wishes to meet me."

"What about in this pack? Do you have any young here?"

Now he grinned. "Three. Two to one female; one to another. The females are constantly fighting over which will mate me. I've told them both that I will mate neither of them." He shrugged. "It's the way of the enforcer. We don't formally mate in order to protect our cubs and their mothers. Most of the time, the position of the enforcer is handed down. But also, I don't love either of them. I respect them. They're strong females, dominant. But I do not love them."

"Ness! Brent! Come on, slow-pokes!" Tricia was waving at us from the sidewalk in front of her Jeep.

"Coming!" I yelled back.

Brent turned the stroller around and started walking.

"Uh, I should do that so you can do your job."

He shook his head. "I can still do my job. I wouldn't have cubs of my own if I couldn't do both."

"Wow," I said, walking beside him. "So, these two females…they don't have any, like, hard feelings toward you for fathering their children? They're just going after each other?"

He chuckled. "It would be different if I wasn't around to raise the young. But I am. They don't have to worry about finding a protector. Though I don't love them, they are the mothers of my children. I'll protect them because I chose them as both my lovers and the mothers of my cubs."

"I'm so sorry, but this is fascinating. How old are you?"

Now he looked uncomfortable. "Twenty-four. And I know what your next questions will be. I've been an enforcer since I was thirteen. Edmund adopted me into the pack and had me trained. As an enforcer, the mating age requirements don't count. It might seem unethical but I fathered my first child when I was fourteen. A dominant female decided she liked me when we visited. I didn't say no."

"So, your oldest is ten?"

He nodded. "A boy. I met him for the first time last summer. Walker allowed me to go when he found out that I'd received a call from the cub asking to meet me."

I grinned. "Sounds like Walker. Was it a good visit?"

"For the most part. His mother died by the hand of another female. And the pack leader didn't want him to stay in the pack. I found him a new home. We still speak every day."

"You didn't bring him back with you? I'm sure Walker would have allowed it."

"Of course he would have. He's a good man. But I didn't want my son in danger. You see, the females would have turned their aggression to him, knowing that he was my first-born son. They'd be scared that I would show favoritism and forget about their young. I wouldn't do that, but I wasn't willing to take the chance. He's nearby in California."

I smiled at him. "You really do love your children."

He nodded. "Even the ones I don't know, the ones I will never know. I have eyes on them at all times. The enforcers are a pack of their own. We stay in touch, watching over each other's young, keeping the pack gossip updated."

"Sounds like a good system. So tell me about your babies here."

Now he practically glowed with pride. "They are still young. With one female, I have a boy and a girl. The other female had a girl."

"Oh wow. Two girls. I'm sure you're going to be intense when they get older."

"Of course. It's my job to see that they're mated well."

Envisioning this mountain of a man judging any and all suitors to his daughters was amusing.

"How old are they?"

"The boy isn't even a year old yet. His sister is almost two. The other girl just turned two."

We were at the back of the group. They were letting us talk. But I could see Christa listening. I knew she was because she smiled when I did. We were walking toward the mall since we'd parked out in the middle of the parking lot.

"I have to say that I'm impressed. You seem like a really cool guy. The pack is lucky to have you."

He chuckled. "Does that mean you're not scared of me?"

"Oh hell no. I'm still terrified of you, but at least I know you have a heart. My children are so much more than precious to me. They're my life, my soul. I would kill if anyone tried to hurt them."

"Tell me who and I'll do it for you."

I smiled up at him, strangely comforted by his promise of murder should anyone harm my kids. "Thank you. I would really like to meet your children, if the females would be okay with it. Maybe your son, too."

"When my son is old enough, I'll petition Walker to allow him in the pack. Until then, I'm sure my young already here would love to meet yours. The females only fight amongst themselves, not involving the young. They fight over me, not the children. They wouldn't mind."

"Do you live with both of the females?"

"Yes. We took the next largest cabin per Walker's orders. I am referee between them. Most days they're friendly. It depends on if I laid with one or the other."

My eyebrows spiked. "You still...I mean…"

He laughed. "A male has needs. I'm still attracted to both of them and them to me. Just don't expect any threesomes. That would turn into World War Three."

"So do you…never mind."

"No, ask me. I really don't mind. I trust you and enjoy talking with you."

"You don't know me."

"I know you're honest and loyal. Trustworthy. That's all I need to know."

I didn't know what to do with that so I went ahead and asked my question. "Okay, well, do you…I mean, are you…intimate with other females outside of the two?"

"No, but not out of any loyalty to them. They can handle fighting between them. But add another female and then it will turn into something more. Besides, I don't want any more mothers, if you know what I mean. If I have any more young it will be with the two of them."

"You want more kids?"

"Yes. Wolves always want young. As many as possible to have the male's bloodline to continue."

Christa dropped back to walk beside me. "You should see him with his kids. So adorable."

He nodded respectfully to her.

She waved it off. "No formal crap, Brent. I've told you to talk to me like you would any other female, like you do Nessie."

"But you are my alpha female."

"And I'm telling you to be informal with me. Please. You know Walker hates all the formality without a visiting pack."

"Yes, I am well aware."

Christa grinned at me. "The pack isn't used to being informal even after three years. But we're trying."

Brent didn't look happy about that.

"You like being formal, don't you?"

He tilted his head toward me. "Christa and Walker are the alpha couple. They deserve the highest respect. Especially for what they've done for Haleigh."

"She means something to you?"

"Her father was the male who found me and sent me to Edmund. I was orphaned, much like the girl was. I never thought I would have a tie to my past until the hunting party came back with her. I could scent her father on her and knew immediately who she was. She's a very special girl. Walker and Christa have my Life's Oath for what they've done for the pack."

From the way he said it, I knew it was a big deal. That was further cemented by Christa's watery eyes.

Brent cleared his throat. "You should go mingle with the others. I'll take care of the young. That is, if you trust me to."

Strangely, I did trust him with my babies. "Are you sure?"

He nodded briskly.

Going up on my toes, I kissed his cheek. "Thank you."

He looked surprised. "For what?"

"Trusting me. I still have so many questions."

"I'll be happy to answer them at a later date. Go."

Christa took my hand and pulled me toward the group of women, wiping her eyes. "Ugh. Those freaking males, I swear."

I laughed. "He seems really…awesome."

"Oh he is. He plays it down, but a lot of the females find him fascinating. He's the leader of the enforcers in our pack. You should see him training. Trust me, you don't want him coming after you."

"Mommy, Mommy!"

Jules ran up to me, hair flying around her.

"What's up, buttercup?" I asked, scooping her up.

She held out her fist that had a sucker in it. "Look it!"

"I see. Who gave that to you?"

"A'nt Emi-ee."

"Aunt Emily? Did you say thank you?"

She nodded. "Yeah-huh." And shoved it back in her mouth.

I looked over at Emily, who had a hand on her small bump. She nodded. "She thanked me."

I smiled sympathetically. "How are you feeling?" I asked as we went into a store.

She blew out a puff of air. "Leila never kicked this much. I can't wait until he comes. Totally my last kid. I don't know how you've done four. Especially that last one."

Laughing, I adjusted Jules. "Well, they kind of snuck up on me. And I really can't believe they're already here." I looked back to Brent, who had taken one of them out of stroller. He was pushing with one hand while holding the other. Instead of feeling scared, I felt like my kids were safe with him. He caught me looking and nodded once.

"Yeah, well," Emily said, fanning herself, "I wish I had your luck."

"No, you don't. It was awful. Craving Jacob's blood sucked so hard. Plus growing that fast wasn't fun. My equilibrium went wonky. Be happy you're going at a normal pace. Have you thought of a name yet?"

"Tate. Sam picked Leila so I get to pick the boy."

"Tate? I like it. It works."

Emily stopped, leaning against the wall. "Geez, I feel like it's a thousand degrees in here."

"Do we need to get you a wheelchair?" Derek asked playfully.

She gave him a look. "Hush, you. You try being pregnant."

"No, thank you. I'm really glad to be a guy. And gay."

Several people passing by gave him a look. I glared at them and growled a little until they stopped and scampered off.

Derek gave me a grin and a wink before turning back to Emily. "Seriously, though. If you need anything, let us know."

Emily smiled. "So sweet. Actually, a bottle of water would be great."

Two seconds later, Derek was heading for a machine in the main part of the mall. Once we got Emily situated in the seats just outside of the fitting rooms, Leah went to look at dresses. She actually looked scared at the prospect of wearing a dress. Rachel and Rebecca had to practically drag her toward them. Brent stayed with Emily and the kids while we went off. Ava didn't want to leave her mother, which tickled Rachel pink, so she came with us, but the rest of the kids stayed with Emily and Brent and his counterpart. I hadn't heard the man say a word, but he followed Brent's orders to the letter. Loyal and fierce. He was tall and slender but muscular. His skin was so dark that there were purple highlights in the right light. The scariest thing about him was his eyes. They were amber. Bianca had taught us that some wolves had embraced their wolves to the point of no returning back to their full human appearance. Elias was one of them. He was Brent's second in command as enforcer.

It was like that at every store. But ironically, we found the perfect dress for Leah at a bridal shop in another part of town. It was a simple white dress with wide straps and a square neckline just below the start of her cleavage. We all agreed that it was perfect in its simplicity to her character.

"Tricia," Leah said as we were packing up the cars. "Are you sure you don't mind? I mean, Caden and I are fine to wait."

Tricia shook her head. "Like I said, all I'm getting is a scratch from Walker. I know it's a big deal to the pack, but Caden is kind of like an honorary member of Walker's pack. It seems fitting that he gets officially mated surrounded by his kind. Bianca is already planning a big to-do for my scratch. Honestly, I wouldn't mind being pushed to the side, especially for you and Caden. You both truly deserve this, to celebrate. It'll take the spotlight off me, and I will owe you forever for that."

Leah laughed. "If you're sure, I'll talk to Caden tonight."

Tricia hugged her. "I am absolutely positive. Either you talk him into it, or I will."

"Thank you. All of you. This was really nice." She turned to me. "And thank you for buying my stuff."

My turn to hug her. "It really wasn't a problem, Leah. We all love you and have wanted to know how to help you for so long. We're the women of the pack; we gotta stick together or the men will drive us nuts."

For a few minutes, we all stood around chit-chatting before the aforementioned men started to call to check on us. We agreed to go our separate ways. When I sat in the passenger seat of my SUV, Derek was about to climb into the front but Brent asked to drive instead. I nodded to Derek. He looked to Brent suspiciously before shrugging and turning to Shelby's vehicle.

"Why drive me?" I asked. "My house is past yours."

"True, but I like your company. I hope that's not too forward."

"Not at all. You should come to our bonfires. Walker's pack is always invited and I know I've never seen you there."

"I'll remember that," he said, pulling out of the parking lot. "I see why the females of Jacob's pack look to you for guidance."

"Oh?"

He nodded. "You're kind but not soft. There's a subtle dominance to you that most females can't pull off. Christa is still too soft with us. She thinks she doesn't belong because she isn't our kind of wolf. But to me, and a lot of us, a wolf is a wolf. She always lets Walker make the decisions and tells us to go to him for permission when she's perfectly capable of both."

"Well, thank you for the compliment, but that begs the question. Do you know her story?"

He looked over at me. "She has a story?"

I nodded.

"She hides it well."

"Yes, she does. Walker and Haleigh help her, especially Walker. And Morgan, her best friend."

"'Especially Walker.' Sounds like her story involves an abusive male."

"Her father."

At that, he growled. "If a male touches her in a disrespectful manner around me, I have permission to rip him apart. The only time a female should have to fight is if it's against a challenging female. And no female will challenge her. She's mated to Walker, a respectful male who saved our pack from our own version of hell."

"Well, her mother also helped. They locked her away for years until Jacob found out and saved her the day she first phased. She was so angry that she would have killed them. But he intervened and banished her parents from the rez forever."

"Good. I didn't meant to say that she wasn't a strong female. She is, but she needs to be firm sometimes, like she is with Haleigh. A lot of alpha females view the pack as her children, and care for them as such."

"Maybe you could sit down with Christa and Walker, try to explain-,"

He shook his head violently, interrupting me. "It is not my place to tell the alpha couple what to do. Bianca is their go-to person."

Still buckled in, I turned in the seat to face him. "Brent, let me tell you about your alpha couple. They're not like other alpha couples. I'm telling you, they would appreciate any and all advice. They're very easygoing and see their pack as family and equals. You may all share being a shapshifter, but all of you still have some humanity left in you. In their eyes, you're all equal and have the right to speak up. This isn't your hell anymore. Christa and Walker are trying to provide sanctuary and safety for all of you. They want you to feel comfortable going to them. There won't be any banishments or executions."

Clearly uncomfortable, he adjusted in the seat and cleared his throat. "Do you have any more questions pertaining to our earlier conversation?"

Grinning, I let him change the subject. "Of course."

He chuckled. "Well, now would be the time."

"Okay. Do you prefer one of your females over the other?"

He shook his head. "No. This will sound crude but it's the only way I know to explain. It's like wanting a different meal every night. Some nights, I don't want either and just want to spend time with the young. Other nights, I may just have one female. Most nights, I lay with both of them, at different times of course."

"So, what if one of them gets pregnant again?"

"I order them to play nice. As the male of the 'family', I can make those types of orders and they be followed. If not, I am within my rights to punish them. Of course, if the female who disobeys is pregnant, the punishment will wait until the cub is born and weaned from her breast."

"Fascinating. So if there's a family of wolves within the pack, that male has authority over the family? In essence he's the alpha of the family?"

He nodded. "Both of my females are equal in power and I haven't permanently mated one, so neither can be the authoritative alpha female of the family."

"Can the pack leader intervene on your orders?"

"Only if he thinks my order will affect the whole pack. If he can't come up with a good enough reason, then no. My order will stand."

"Do the children get along?"

He grinned. "Yes. The two girls are best friends, even in toddler age. Like I said, the fighting doesn't get past the mothers. Nothing spills to the children because they are the future of the pack, and I don't want to have to send them away."

"Okay. Earlier you said that you'd petition for your son to join Walker's pack when he's older. What about the other kids that wanted to meet you? What if they want or need to come live with you?"

"Then I will do what I can. If Walker refuses a petition, I will petition packs close to us to take them in. The enforcer leaders do have some influence over the pack leader. A lot of pack leaders will rely heavily on the approval or disapproval of their lead enforcer. Right now, Walker relies heavily on Bianca, which makes sense. She was the first of us to trust him, therefore, she's the first one he trusts. I kind of feel useless since he and Christa hate the thought of me and mine guarding them. They want me to spend as much time with my young as I can. What they don't understand is that it's my job to protect them. The females understand that; it's what attracted them to me in the first place. My children, all of them, will be raised and trained as enforcers, even those born to the females who didn't want to lay with me."

"Speaking of which, those females…it wasn't…rape, was it?"

"Not exactly. I was forced into it as much as they were. If one of us had had a choice, the answer would have been no. I would never have forced a female to be with me. But it was either lay with me voluntarily or be raped by the ruthless of our pack and be killed after."

I couldn't help the gasp. "There are wolves like that in the pack?"

"Not anymore. Walker had them sent off to other packs. Well away from here."

"Good. So you didn't rape them."

"No. And I was gentle as I could be but some of them were virgins and promised to males in their packs. Many of the males realized that there was nothing I could do and were grateful for what I'd done. If I'd refused, I would have been killed, the female raped anyway, and not gently before being killed by her own pack. She would have been seen as weak by them, not worthy of being a member of that pack. But some of the females and males hated it so much that I fear the young didn't survive the pregnancy, birth, or through their first year."

"That's awful. I'm so sorry."

"It's the way of life for us. Much like lions. When a new male takes over the pride, he kills all the cubs sired by the previous alpha male."

"That happens in the packs?"

"Not by the pack leaders anymore. But let's say that a mated male dies, leaving behind his female and young. If another male moves in on the female and he claims her because she's not strong enough to fight him off, he has the choice of raising, being cruel, or killing the young. Now that the States are heavily populated, the death rates have dropped drastically. As have cruelty rates. Fights for land or power can't happen in the open. Now the battles are political. But also, Walker has heavily influenced the transition. He doesn't know this, but he's quite popular on the chatter circuit. If he can integrate as leader without all the blood and death, and still hold the pack together, why can't everyone else? They're seeing that the children aren't a threat to the change in power. No reason to kill the cubs until or if they should ever pose a threat."

In awe, I just sat there, staring out the window. Walker didn't know that the idea of him had saved children's lives. At the thought that I knew him, considered him a dear friend, I wanted to cry.

"Are you alright? I don't want to return you to your mate upset."

Wiping my eyes, I chuckled. "I'm fine. I promise. This world just keeps surprising me is all."

"Would you…would you mind if I asked you some questions? I've heard bits and pieces of your story with your alpha male, but the fact that you're half vampire and have children with a werewolf fascinates me."

I grinned when I heard my own words coming from him. "Absolutely. Go for it."

The rest of the trip was spent with me answering all the questions I've answered before. My conception and birth. The explanation of imprinting and how it worked for me and Jacob. All three of my pregnancies. He kept asking me questions about the kids right up until he pulled up to the porch of the cabin. Sunset had come and gone as we'd driven. Jacob's truck was parked up beside the house. He came out just as I was hoping out of the SUV. All four of the kids were passed out in their seats so we left them there while we unpacked.

Jacob eyed Brent as the man went around to open the back. I went to Jacob, wrapping my arms around his waist. "I missed you today," I said, going up on my toes to ask for a kiss. He met me halfway.

"I missed you, too. How were the kids?"

"Perfect. Brent stayed with the twins. They like him."

The man in question moved his foot under the car to trigger the door to close and then brought the bags to the porch. He held a hand out to Jacob. "You have a remarkable mate, Mr. Black."

Jake took his hand, frowning a little as if he didn't know what to make of the other wolf. "Jacob. And thank you. I wouldn't know what to do without her."

Grinning, I said, "Jacob, this is Brent. He's an enforcer for Walker's pack. The lead enforcer, actually."

Brent nodded. "It's an honor to meet you, Jacob."

Jacob's eyebrows rose.

Chuckling, I smoothed a hand down his chest. "I'll explain later." I looked to Brent. "Thank you so much for putting up with all my questions and your help with everything."

"No need to thank me. Again, it was an honor. Now, I shall leave you to care for your young. I'm sure they'd like to go in to bed."

"Of course. Thank you again."

To my surprise, he bowed to both of us before loping off into the dark woods.

"Well, he was weird."

Playfully, I slapped him. "No, he's not. Like I said I'll explain, but first we need to get them inside and in bed. Adam, Derek, and Rhett wore all the kids out. I won't be surprised if they sleep for two days straight."

Once we got everything and everyone in the house, and locked up for the night, Jacob and I dressed the kids' limp bodies for bed before going back downstairs to relax and watch a little TV. We cuddled up and I explained everything Brent had told me from his kids to the operations of Edmund.

Jacob shook his head when I was done. "Man, a kid at fourteen. These days it doesn't really surprise me. I mean, think of that show on MTV. At least he sounds like a good father though."

"Yeah, the way he talked really impressed me. So contained for someone with so much responsibility. He might indifferent about his two females, but he loves his children very much. He also said that if we need him for any sort of protection that we can call him. Walker doesn't utilize the enforcers, so he feels useless." And then I remembered something from earlier. "Oh and I need to tell you something, but you can't tell anyone else, okay?"

He frowned. "Okay." He played his fingers through my hair and the warmth of them relaxed me from the day of shopping.

Sighing against him, I said, "Leah might be pregnant."

"What?!"

Laughing, I put my fingers over his lips. "Shh, don't wake the kids."

His eyes widened. "Sorry, but you can't just dump something like that. You have to, I don't know, go slowly. And what do you mean, might be?"

I went through the whole explanation and when I was done, he just sat there, stunned, fingers playing in my hair.

"Wow. After all this time."

"Yeah. Apparently, he and his wolf are pretty damn excited."

"I bet." Reaching over, he gripped my thigh and pulled me over his lap so I was straddling his thighs. He stroked the fly away hairs from my face. "I would be, too, if I were him. Hell, I was him. Kind of. Is she going to go to Carlisle?"

I nodded, my fingers playing across his collarbones. "In a couple weeks or so. If she is pregnant, it's barely a week."

"Man, I really hope she is. They both deserve that."

"Amen. But there's something else."

His eyebrows spiked again. "There's more?"

"A little bit. Leah's going to try to talk Caden into the mating ceremony at Walker's this weekend. Tricia talked her into it. Tricia doesn't think that her being infected should be such a big deal. Since Bianca is wanting a party, why not a mating ceremony in the ways of Caden's kind of wolf? Especially before they announce the pregnancy, if they are pregnant."

"Sounds reasonable." Yanking on my waist, he threw me against his chest. "I love you, Mrs. Black."

I grinned against his throat. "I love you, too, Mr. Black. Very much." Tilting up, I kissed the underside of his chin and cuddled down against the warmth of his body.

**LeahPOV**

Caden just blinked at me. He'd been doing that silently for the past five minutes.

"Say something. Please."

He shook his head. "You really want to do that? For me?"

Melting, I sat in his lap and wrapped my arms around his shoulders. "Of course I do. I won't need a wedding or anything. The mating ceremony will be enough for me. And Tricia _really _doesn't mind. She and Christa are probably talking to Walker as we speak."

His fingers played with the skin of my stomach over the waistband of my jeans. Ever since I walked through the door, he hadn't been able to keep his hands off me. "I won't have a ring or anything."

"Caden," I said, brushing my fingers through his recently cut hair. "I don't need a ring. If you really want me to have one, I'll wear it. Of course I will. But it can wait. I just really want to do this. If we're pregnant-," At that, he gave me a look as if I were doubting his ability to sense it, but I stuck to my guns. "_If _we're pregnant, I want to be mated before we announce it. It's not like I think anything is wrong with getting pregnant before marriage," I said quickly. "I just think this is the perfect opportunity. It'll be that start that we want, you know?"

He silenced me with a kiss, his fingers still at my stomach. "I understand, love. No need to explain. All I needed to hear was that you really want this with me."

"I can tell you that I've never wanted anything more, other than kids. And you're giving me that, too. It's all I could ever want. I don't want to take time to plan everything. I'm ready now. Today, Ness and the girls took me shopping, and I found a dress. An actual dress that I want to wear for you. A dress that I want you to take off me at the end of the night. I haven't owned a dress since I was a little girl, and you make me want to be like that again. I want to prove it in front of everyone."

He kissed me again. "Alright. We'll be mated this weekend, then. If Walker approves it."

Even though I was in his lap, I tackled him. "Thank you! I love you so much, Caden. So, so much."

His large, warm hands stroked my back. "And I you, love. You're my life. And the young growing inside you. I'll give you both anything. Everything."

"All we want is you," I whispered into his neck.

Though there were no tests done yet, I'd already accepted the idea that we were pregnant, that I was, at this very moment, carrying a baby. My soul mate's baby. And there was no amount of fear in me that Caden would leave us. Ever.

**That Weekend…**

**CadenPOV**

There were two different mating ceremonies. One for pack alliances and one for members of the same pack. Tonight, it was the ceremony for alliances. For all intents and purposes, I was a member of Walker's pack. Leah belonged to Jacob's. Tonight, we were joining the packs again. Christa and Walker had already performed this ceremony in private. Tonight's would be in front of both packs.

No suit for me tonight. I was in a pair of loose, black pants and nothing else. A shirt would just irritate the burn I would be getting. Walker and Christa had decided against the burns, but Leah and I had not.

As the sun began to set, the drums started up. I was standing before Walker and Christa, a massive bonfire behind them. Walker's pack was on one side of the circle surrounding us, and Jacob's pack on the other. Everyone was required to wear black except the female and the alpha couple. Walker and Christa were wearing the ceremonial red robes of the alpha couple including the wooden circlets made specifically for them to represent them as a type of king and queen.

We'd decided to give the ceremony an aspect of the human wedding. Leah's mother and brother were to escort her through the circle to me. As the drums pounded, my heart thudded right along with them.

And then the circle parted. Leah stood between her mother and brother in a simple white dress that flowed to the ground. As she walked, I could see she was barefoot, just like everyone else. But she was by far the most beautiful person I'd ever seen, male or female. Her hair was long enough to be braided over her shoulder. It looked spectacular against her dark skin and white dress. She was right. I'd never seen her in a dress, and the sight literally stole my breath. She was so feminine that all I wanted to do was protect her. With my body. All night long.

As they reached me, I held my hand out, palm up. Seth placed her hand in mine with a nod. A look of complete understanding passed between us. I was to take absolute care of his sister or I'd find myself torn apart. Message received. Sue kissed my cheek before joining her son on Jacob's side of the circle. She was the only human allowed at the gathering because she was the "bride's" mother. Walker had allowed the exception for Leah.

Facing Leah, I smiled and took her right hand in my left. For this ceremony, the dominant hands were important.

The drums went silent when Walker took a step forward. "Tonight, we recognize the union of these two wolves. The love of the true mate and the imprint. Fate has sought this male and this female to be mated in front of these witnesses this night, and we are honored to bear witness to the true love of soul mates." He turned to me. "Caden, male of my pack, this female has chosen you as her mate. Do you swear to protect her and any young she may bear you?"

She and I shared a secret smile before I said, "I so swear it."

"Do you swear to treat her as your equal, to respect her as your alpha female?"

"I so swear it."

"Do you swear to cherish her for the precious soul that she is for all your time together on this earth?"

"I so swear it."

"And last, but certainly not least, do you swear to love her unconditionally until your dying day and all the lives after this one?"

"I so swear it."

He stepped forward to wrap a piece of hemp string around my wrist, to cross my palm, and wrap around my ring finger of my left hand. It had been dipped in a form of accelerant before the ceremony.

Walker stepped back once more. Christa stepped forward to recite the vows to her packmate.

"Leah, female of the Quileute pack, this male has chosen you as his mate. Do you swear to care for him and any young you may bear him?"

She grinned. "I so swear it."

"Do you swear to treat him as your equal, to respect him as your alpha male?"

"I so swear it."

"Do you swear to honor his warrior soul for as long as he is able to fight for you and any young you may bear him?"

"I so swear it."

"And, last but not least, do you swear to love him unconditionally until your dying day and all the lives after this one?"

"I so swear it."

Christa stepped up to wrap the hemp around Leah's right wrist, across her palm, and ring finger, all to mirror my left hand. Walker moved to stand beside her. This was the part Leah was most nervous about. All four of us were. But I'd seen it done before. It would hurt, but I knew Leah could do it. I'd explained it to her beforehand. Even though I'd told her I would be fine not doing it, she refused to hear it. She wanted it done the way it was supposed to be done.

Holding up my hand, she pressed her palm to mine. We couldn't lace our fingers.

Walker and Christa both lit a match each.

"Ready?" Walker asked under his breath.

I looked to Leah.

"Absolutely," she said firmly.

The alpha couple shared a look before putting the flames to the twine around our wrists. The fire was a hot rush, lighting up the twine. I gritted my teeth against the pain as my skin seared. I could see Leah doing the same. Not once did she cry out as the flames twisted between our palms and around our fingers. Once the twine was burned away, the fire fizzled out. Before our rapid healing could kick in, a bowl of salt water was dumped over our hands, sealing the scars. Leah hissed a little before catching the sound. I was proud of her.

Walker's voice filled the clearing. "As is my right as pack leader, I declare this male and female a true mated pair."

A cheer went up with the sound of drums. Grinning, I pulled my mate into my arms and kissed her something fierce.

After a few long moments, I pulled back, resting my forehead against hers. "How's your hand?"

"Perfect."

"Stomach?" Over the week, she'd started to get queasy followed by morning sickness. I knew, beyond any doubts, that she was pregnant.

Her unscarred hand went to her stomach. "A little off, but that could just be nerves."

"Do you want to tell them or wait?"

"Do we know for sure?"

"I'm beyond sure."

"What are you two talking about?" Walker asked. Christa just smiled. Of course she already knew.

I looked to Leah.

She shrugged. "Why not?"

I turned to Walker. "Get everyone quiet. Please."

He raised his eyebrows but did as I asked. It took a good five minutes to get everyone quiet to the point that the only sound was the fire crackling behind us.

Gripping Leah's hand, I stepped forward. She nodded. "Now that Leah and I are officially mated, we've decided that tonight would be the perfect night to also announce that we're having a baby."

Silence answered that statement for only a few seconds before an even bigger roar rose up from the crowd, loudest on Jacob's side of the circle. They'd all known how badly Leah had wanted a family, and that she'd been scared she'd never have one. I looked back to see Leah crying, wiping her face as her mother ran at her. I stepped back while Sue and Seth wrapped Leah in their arms, all three of them in tears. Walker and Jacob came over to me, grinning. Walker jumped on me, whooping and shaking me.

"Hell yeah, man! Congratulations! That's the best news I've heard all damn day!"

Laughing, I hugged him back. "Thanks."

Jacob came up, his hand extended. There was a look in his eyes that said he already knew. "Congrats, Caden. You and Leah both deserve this."

I shook his hand and pulled him into a half hug. "I owe this to you. If you and Ness hadn't taken me in, I wouldn't be this happy right now. So thank you."

He hugged me tighter. "Don't mention it. We've helped each other. Don't think that I forgot about the advice you gave Ness when you first met. You were the reason she came to me at that cabin. We're even."

"Far from, actually. But I'll agree to disagree."

"I can dig that."

Walker tapped on Jacob's arm. Both men moved aside so that Leah was revealed. Grinning, she ran into my arms.

I picked her up and spun her around. "I love you, my female."

"I love you, too. I so swear it."

The kiss was deep and slow and long.

I could hear Jacob and Walker chuckling.

"Alright, guys!" Walker yelled. "Let the party begin!"

Music and drums filled the air as well as more cheers.

Leah and I both chuckled as I let her slide down my body, her lips still pressed to mine.

Eventually, she pulled back. "If I'm not mistaken, there's one more event that needs to happen tonight. Something we promised to witness."

Of course. She was talking about Tricia. Looking around, I found Walker talking to his head enforcer who had a dark-haired girl on his shoulders. Taking Leah's hand, I led her to him. Brent nodded his respects to us before disappearing into the crowd.

Walker turned to us. He smiled at Leah. "Congrats, girl. You totally deserve this."

"Thank you, Walker. It was very kind of you to do this for us."

He waved it off. "Are you crazy? I loved every second of it. Besides, Bianca and Angelica have been needing a reason to throw a party."

"Speaking of, how's Tricia? Is she ready?"

In the next moment, Embry was standing beside us. "Yeah, she's in the cabin. We're both ready if you are."

Jacob and Nessie were next to pop up. Nessie hugged Leah and squealed happily. "Oh my god, I love you both so much!" And then she threw herself onto me. I hugged her back, still feeling that she was responsible for my happiness. She pulled back. "So are we ready for the next part?"

Walker nodded and motioned for all of us to follow him. Of course, the packs noticed their alphas slinking away and the clearing became hushed. They knew what we were doing. That's what this shindig was for originally after all.

"Keep partying," Walker ordered. "We'll be back."

As we passed her, Bianca nodded to me before turning to the crowd. "You heard the man!"

The drums started back up as we entered the cabin. Walker and Christa stripped off their robes. He was in a pair of ripped jeans and nothing else. She was in a white tank and a pair of jeans. And they took off the crowns. Tricia was pacing the living room, her hair up off her neck just as directed by me. She was wearing a black camisole. The color would hide any blood that may get on it. Her pale skin and hair shone against the dark fabric even though her hair was away from her shoulders. It had never occurred to me before but she was startlingly beautiful.

"Are we ready?" she asked as Embry made his way toward her. He was likewise in black for both the mating ceremony and this one.

"We're waiting on one more," Walker said just before the door opened.

Elias, Brent's second in command of the enforcers, came through with a large bag. I assumed it was a medical kit. He had been trained by doctors and healers from every pack this one had visited before Walker had taken over. And the best part was that he wasn't emotionally tied to Tricia. He could expertly navigate the medical procedures that would need to be done. This wasn't going to be a scratch she could just cover with a Band-Aid and waltz out afterward. It was going to have to be deep and painful. The most important tool to Elias was the coagulant he had in that bag. Walker needed to knick a major artery for the best results.

When Elias nodded that he was ready after setting up on the coffee table, I looked to Embry. "It would be best if you're not too close. You're aggressive when it comes to her protection."

He looked at Tricia.

"I promise that once the cut is made, you can be with her."

Embry nodded before pulling her toward his chest and a scorching kiss. "Don't you die on me," he whispered fiercely.

Smiling, she stroked his cheek. "I won't as long as you're waiting for me."

"Always." One more kiss and then he came to stand between me and Jacob.

Jacob clapped a hand on his shoulder. "She's strong. She's not going anywhere."

Elias directed Walker and Tricia where he wanted them, on their knees in front of the fire. He knelt behind Tricia so that he could catch her if she passed out. He was close enough to the table to reach his supplies. The rest of us moved to stand in a semi-circle around them. Leah squeezed my hand and laced our fingers. Leaning over, I kissed her temple.

"My alpha," Elias said to Walker in such a deep baritone that it hurt my won chest. "You must remember that the slice has to be deep to sink the infection. However, there is another option. You may also make four puncture wounds along the artery like this." He placed his fingertips at Tricia's throat, along the jugular. "If you chose this, stitches may not have to occur. It will also add more of the infection to her blood. If the infection takes, the wounds should heal by Monday or Tuesday. Since she is to be a member of this pack, I would like her to stay over the weekend so that I may properly assess her."

Walker looked to Embry. "You'd have to ask her mate how he feels about that."

Elias looked up with his amber eyes.

Embry nodded. "Whatever it takes to keep her safe."

Elian and Walker looked back to Tricia. "Which do you want?" Walker asked. "The slice or the punctures? They'll both hurt."

Tricia turned to Elias. She was so small and pale against him. "Which do you suggest?" she asked him.

For a moment, he seemed surprised that someone would want his opinion. "The punctures," he answered with a bow of the head.

She turned back to her brother. "The punctures then."

Elias put his hands on her shoulders. "Try to relax and don't tilt your head. The vein must be pliable and loose."

The woman took a deep breath before her shoulders dropped, the tension being released. Walker focused his power and grew his claws just as I had taught him. With Tricia's nod, he put them against her skin where Elias showed him. He took a deep breath, met his sister's eyes, and sank them deep into her neck, eyes flinching. Tricia's eyes squeezed tight in pain, a couple tears sliding down her cheeks, but no sobbing or begging to stop. She took the pain and breathed through it. Walker cupped the side of her head when it tilted, cradling his sister the best way he could.

Beside me, Embry was twitchy. "Okay, he's done, right?" He moved forward, but I gripped his arm.

"The longer the claws are in her skin, the more potent the infection in her blood. That's how Walker was turned. They attacked him and left their claws in his skin when they did. Elias will tell him when it's time to let go. Just stay calm. She's calm, not bleeding too much. You should be proud at how she'd enduring this pain. Trust them."

"I am proud of her."

"Then don't interfere."

Tricia opened her clear blue eyes to find her mate. Over Walker's arm, she met Embry's eyes and held them. "I'm okay," she whispered and then closed them again. Blood was seeping from around Walker's claws to run down the pale skin of her chest, branching out to run between her breasts and out to her side. There wasn't that much. She was as calm on the inside as she was on the outside.

After another couple of minutes, Elias nodded to Walker. "Slowly, my alpha. You don't want to rip the skin anymore. Luckily, she did not thrash around in pain."

Walker did as he was told. Elias was ready with a towel and syringe. At each puncture he shot some of the coagulant into her skin. He held the towel out to Embry. "She is your mate. It is only fitting that you clean her."

Tricia hadn't exactly passed out, but she was weak. She'd collapsed back against Elias, which had made it easier for him to give the shots. Now that the shots were done and the wound bandaged, Embry knelt and gently took her into his arms. He cleaned her as best his could without getting intimate.

"Can he carry her?" Walker asked.

Elias and I both nodded.

He looked to Embry. "There's an extra bedroom down here. You can use it."

"No."

All eyes went to Tricia. She was breathing normally and there was color returning to her face.

"I'm okay," she said, eyes fluttering open. "I don't want bed rest."

"Tricia," Embry started.

"No." Her voice was firm and strong. "I just need a little food, get my blood sugar up."

Elias and I shared a look. He said, "She is a strong alpha female. If the infection takes, it will be an honor to have her in the pack." His tone was full of respect. I agreed with him.

She smiled at him as she made Embry help her stand. "I knew I liked you."

He smiled back but looked to Embry. "I shall stay close tonight. I swear it."

"Tricia, you need to rest," Embry said.

Slowly, she stepped away from him, standing on her own. "I can rest when I die, Embry. Tonight is supposed to be a celebration, and I intend to celebrate with Caden and Leah. They're mated and pregnant. I am okay, not handicapped. And Elias has agreed to stay nearby. I won't get rowdy. You will stay nearby. Please. I'll be okay."

"Let her show her strength," Walker said. "As my sister and potentially new member of the pack, they'll want to see her strength."

"That's true," I agreed. "Even if the infection doesn't take, they'll see her as an equal."

Christa rushed off for the kitchen and then came back with a power bar and a glass of orange juice. Tricia took them. After eating and drinking, Elias took her pulse and blood sugar. "She's okay to go."

Embry sighed. "Fine. But no partying."

She grinned up at him before flinching at the pull on her neck. Embry didn't like it, but he would do it for her. She let go of him long enough to hug us, Walker first. "Thank you, big brother. I know it was hard for you, but I'm glad it was you."

He squeezed her gently. "Me, too. I'm proud of you, no matter what happens."

She came over to hug Leah. "I'm sorry I wasn't allowed at the ceremony. What happened?"

Leah held up her newly scarred hand. The hemp had been laced with a sort of ash that turned the scars black instead of that pinkish white. "We got burned."

Tricia studied her hand. "Oh wow. Did it hurt?"

"Did yours?"

"Good point. I really like this. It's exotic." She smiled at my mate. "It suits you beautifully."

"Thank you."

Elias came to stand next to me. "I don't wish to be rude, but the pack is waiting."

We got ourselves together. Tricia and Leah stepped out together. The packs were crowded outside the door. Females from both packs stepped forward to shower Leah and Tricia with crowns and necklaces of flowers. In a peaceful pack, the females would treat new members as queens, especially if they were mated into the pack. Leah had been through me. Tricia had undergone the procedure to make her one of us. Only time would tell. In a couple of days, either the wounds would be healed or they wouldn't. If not, I had no doubt that she'd keep trying. But something told me that it would because of her sheer strength of will.

All night we celebrated. The kids ran around. Maddox and Ash were passed around through the packs, and I could see Brent trailing them with his own young. I'd come to find out that he was rather fond of Nessie. Brent was popular among the enforcers. Some would say he was too kind, others too ruthless. After talking with him a little, I knew him to be a bit of both. He may not have loved his two females, but he favored them. It was a weakness enforcers didn't entertain. A relationship with the cub's mother wasn't a good way to keep their cub safe. But this pack was different. For now, the area was the safest place. Many other packs spoke reverently of Walker and Jacob for making the Volturi pay and disappear for a while. Eventually, other packs would try to move in, and Brent would be called back as an enforcer. But until then, he was ordered to spend time with his family, and travel to see his other young when he was needed. He still sparred with his team to keep them and himself on their toes.

Leah's mother and brother rarely left her side, but that was alright. I'd have all night with her when we managed to get home. Watching her with them, happy and relaxed, she positively glowed. I was surrounded by all the men.

Jacob, true to his nature, clapped me on the shoulder. "Welcome back to the club, my friend."

Holding my hand up, I stared at the black lines on my hand. "Actually, I never mated nor married Alora. This is my first."

"Well, then, welcome. How does it feel?"

"Good," I answered immediately. "Right."

He grinned. "The best things in life are supposed to feel that way."

A moment later, Nessie pushed through the crowd with Jules. "Sorry to interrupt guy time, but she wanted her daddy."

Jules and Jacob reached for each other at the same time. She cuddled in close to his chest. Her aqua eyes studied the writhing crowd with nervousness. Nessie grinned at them before excusing herself. "I should go find the twins. They're probably hungry." And she disappeared.

Jacob rocked his daughter in his arms. "Are you ready for this?" he asked.

I looked at the little girl who had come to mean so much to me. "More than I ever thought I could be."

"I'm glad you're better, Caden. Letting go is always hard, but when you do, it frees you more than you could ever imagine."

My gaze found Leah. "I know exactly what you mean." She must have felt me staring because she looked up and smiled.

And I realized something. This wasn't just my new beginning. It was hers, too. She'd gone through so much with me that I'd dragged her down into my funk. She was now as free as I was with my letting go of the past, letting my family rest. I had a new family to take care of, a family that was alive and needed protecting. Alora, Damien, and the baby were out of harm's reach now. Leah and my unborn child were still here, and I was their protector until the end of our days.

I fully intended to give them both the life they deserved starting right now.

* * *

**So how are we feeling? One more chapter and then Will's story can begin! So freaking excited! I absolutely loved the mating ceremony. And Tricia. And Brent! OMG who else loves Brent? Is it just me? I hope not! Please let me know! Love you! xoxoxoxoxo**


	7. Chapter 7

**AHHHHH! The last chapter of this story! Holy crap! I am so excited. I love this chapter. Most of it wasn't going to be here, but a reviewer asked if I was going to put in Tricia's and Haleigh's shifts. I wasn't going to, but the thought kept bothering me, so I went back and added the first couple of POVs. This chapter was intended to be _super _short. **

**Also, another reviewer asked if the kids' stories would be written with individual plots or a flow from story to story like Jake and Nessie's. I'm thinking individual with some overlapping incidences, but I won't know for sure until I actually start writing. I know the gist of Will's story, so hopefully there will be a new story posted soon from me. And speaking of Will, we get a peek at an older Will at the end of this one. Not as old as he'll be in his story, but older than two.**

***Disclaimer***

**Please Enjoy!**

* * *

**EmbryPOV**

Weak light flowed through the blinds in the room Tricia and I were crashing in. The partying had lasted two days. It was now Monday. Luckily I'd taken the day off at the shop because I was in no condition to work mechanical equipment.

Stretching out, I realized that my wife's side of the bed was empty. "Tricia?" Sitting up, I looked around the room. "Trish?" I said louder.

"Oh, thank God." Her voice drifted from the bathroom. "Can you shut the blinds? Please."

"Yeah, hold on." Rolling out of bed, I did as she asked. "It's all clear."

When she came back into the bedroom, I could see that her eyes were severely dilated, the blue nearly eaten up by the pupil.

"Are you okay?" I asked, rushing at her.

She winced. "Please, not so loud. Is it hot in here to you?"

I just stared at her. Inspiration crowded my mind. Instead of answering her, I walked up and peeled the bandage from her neck. I was not surprised by what I saw. Walker's puncture wounds were just pink scars up the column of her neck.

Her eyes widened as she reached up to touch them. "They're healed," she whispered.

"Then infection…it's working."

"Yeah, but it's super-hot in here." She pulled her hair up away from her neck and fanned herself. Her breathing picked up and I could tell that she was having issues.

"Sit down before you pass out. I'm going to call Elias and Walker."

But we didn't get that far. She took one step and collapsed.

"Trish!" I caught her before she could hit the floor. "Elias! Walker!"

A minute later the door opened but it wasn't either of the men. It was Haleigh. "Dad had a meeting and Elias went outside to smoke." Then she saw Tricia and rushed over. "Aunt Tricia? What happened, Uncle Embry?"

She was in training to shift and she was one of the Children. Maybe she could help. "Light sensitivity. She was saying that she was really hot. The punctures have healed."

"The infection," she said, reaching out to touch her aunt's forehead. "She's burning up. It's a sign that she needs to shift. I can't help with that. Garrett!"

There was thumping on the stairs before the fifteen year old burst through the door. "Haleigh? What's wrong?"

Haleigh stood up, kissed his cheek, and went into the hallway. "Stay with her. See if you can help. I'm going to find Elias." Then she was gone.

Garrett knelt down beside us and felt her forehead just like Haleigh had. "She's ready to shift. Already. That's quite impressive."

"Why isn't she? Is she okay?"

"Her brain isn't frying, if that's what you mean. As for why she isn't shifting, think of it this way. The wolf inside of her is like a newborn giraffe. It's on shaky legs and doesn't really know what to do. This is rare. Her human body is ready for the shift, but the wolf is not."

"So how do we get her back to normal?"

"We force the shift."

I growled. "Nobody is beating the hell out of her to piss her off. You better tell me there's another way," I said in a warning tone.

He held his hands out but didn't back down. "There is. But no matter how we force it, this will hurt. It's just part of the process."

"Garrett?" Elias knelt next to the boy. "I don't have the ability that you're speaking of. And neither does Walker, not that I know of."

The two of them shared a look before Garrett swallowed nervously and nodded. "That's fine. I do."

"Are you sure?" Elias asked.

Garrett's demeanor changed in an instant. He slowly turned to glare at the other wolf. "Because we're pressed for time, I'm going to forget that you just questioned the son of an alpha with a stupid question like that. Of course my father taught me." He looked to me. "We need to get her outside. Shifting in here will only scare the wolf more."

I noticed an order when I heard it. Not asking any questions, I scooped her up and followed Garrett out of the house. Walker and Christa ran up to us as we headed for the woods behind the cabin.

"What happened?" Walker demanded.

Haleigh answered for me because I was too focused on Tricia to pay attention to them. She didn't look paler than usual, her lips weren't blue. She just looked like she passed out. Garrett stopped at a clearing that was far enough from the village to avoid prying eyes.

"Lay her down and step back. You're not going to want to be that close."

I did as he said. Right now, the kid was the smartest one here. But I couldn't help it. I had to ask, "Are you sure you know how to do whatever it is you're about to do?"

He smiled slightly as he knelt by her. "You're her mate so you get a pass at the question. And yes, I know what I'm doing. My father started teaching me how the moment I came back from my first shift." He held a hand up. "No more talking."

Taking deep breaths, he closed his eyes and pressed his hand across her forehead. Instantly, the air in the clearing changed. It tightened, becoming solid, electric. The pressure was so intense that my eyes were pounding in their sockets. I looked to Garrett. That fifteen year old boy had that much power inside him. Now _that _was impressive.

He bowed his head and held his hands up, hovering them just over her body. As I watched, it seemed like something around her shimmered. The something solidified the more Garrett poured his power through the clearing. The leaves and brush started to flutter, and then pick up pace, and I realized that the power was circling the clearing.

Elias moved in front of us. "Move back. We need to move back. Now."

I stumbled back but kept my eyes on them. Now the power looked more like a tornado. I could almost see the shape of it as it condensed around Garrett and Tricia. Garrett lowered his hands, palm down, closer to her body and then slowly curled them into fists as if he were gripping the fabric of her shirt. Now, Tricia started to move. Her body arched and lowered with the rise and fall of the power around her. Those blue eyes rolled back into her head.

It seemed like all of this was taking forever, but a look at my watch said that he'd only been kneeling over her for a couple of minutes.

Suddenly everything went quiet. Looking up, I found that Garrett had laid his palms flat over Tricia, one over her heart and the other just below her breasts. The power had disappeared. No, wait. It was inside Tricia. Her skin was faintly luminous under the shade of the trees.

Without warning, Garrett closed his hands back into fists and yanked them away from Tricia's body. A burst of power threw him backward as a yelp sounded out. All I could was stare as a wolf lay on its side exactly where my wife had just been. The wolf was panting and whimpering as if in pain. She was absolutely stunning with her golden fur. It was so light that it was as if someone had taken golden powder to white fur, just dusted it enough to give it color.

"Tricia?" I breathed, taking a step forward.

The wolf opened her eyes. They were the blue of spring skies, a few shades lighter than Tricia's in human form.

"Haleigh!" Christa shouted as the girl fell to the ground.

When her body started to writhe, Walker pulled her back. "She's shifting, too."

Where Tricia's wolf just appeared, Haleigh's broke her small body on its way out, the bone popping, muscle slipping. Garrett's power must have been strong enough to force hers as well. Behind me, Tricia whimpered again. I turned to find that she was slowly getting to her paws. In wolf form, her shoulders hit my sternum. But God, she was gorgeous. She slowly came to me, rubbing her muzzle against my hand.

"Hey, beautiful," I whispered. "Welcome to your new life."

She purred as I rubbed between her eyes.

"Oh, Haleigh. I'm so sorry," Garrett was saying while the smaller wolf panted on her side. "I didn't even think about you having not shifted yet."

She studied him with pain-filled green eyes from her nondescript brown fur.

"It's alright, Garrett," Walker said, gripping his shoulder. "Better this way than not at all."

When Haleigh whimpered, Tricia broke away from me to go over to her. My mate gently cleaned the smaller wolf's muzzle and helped nudge her to all fours.

"They need to hunt," Elias said. He walked up to Tricia. "There are deer on this land. If you follow and trust your senses, you'll be able to find your food. Our land is fenced off, so you don't have to worry about wandering to outside territory."

Once he was out of the way, Tricia and Haleigh took off into the woods.

"Should someone go with them?" I asked.

Garrett shook his head and shakily made it to his feet. "No. Females, especially alpha females, are more aggressive about learning to hunt on their own. If they aren't back in a few hours, that's when we search for them. For now, we wait."

With nothing else to do, we all followed him back to the cabin. We spent the rest of the day going over what to expect from two newly shifted alpha females.

As I sat there, waiting for Tricia to come back to me, I realized that I was relieved it had worked. I wanted her to be like me, to be able to run with me. To live with me. Now, our children would be born to a mother who would live a long time with them.

I finally felt like I could breathe again, knowing I had longer than just a mere fifty or sixty years left with her.

**JPOV**

"You sure?"

"Yeah, we're fine. Just wanted to let you know what was going on."

Balancing the phone between my ear and shoulder, I picked up Ash, who was getting ready to scream for food. I grabbed him up before he could and reached for the bottle Nessie had set on the table. I'd thought twins might be easier to deal with since they usually needed the same things at the same time. Hell no. It was harder because it meant that you needed more than two hands. How Nessie did it when I was at the shop was a complete mystery. Not to mention that she also dealt with Will and Jules all day, too. The woman was a saint.

Embry had called just before I was about to feed my son.

"Okay, thanks. I appreciate the call. Let us know if you or Walker need anything."

"Thanks, man. I gotta go."

We hung up and I threw the phone to the couch. Jules grabbed it and started playing on it.

Nessie had Maddox in the crook of her arm. "What was that about?" Before I could answer, Will came around the couch from the kitchen holding a pack of gummy candies. She gave him a look. "No, Will. Put those back."

"No," Will whined. "I want them."

"You just ate breakfast. No candy until after lunch. You know the rules. Put them back."

Still standing, he threw a fit-jig and started that you're-mean-cry.

"William Edward Black," Nessie commanded in her mother tone. "Put. Them. Back. If I have to tell you again, you're not getting any after lunch and you'll have to stay in your room alone until dinner. No playing with Daddy or Jules."

"No!" he screamed in denial of his impending punishment.

Nessie raised her eyebrows. "Then put them back like I told you."

He stopped his screaming and vertical convulsing, but pouted and cried all the way back to the pantry. I moved so that I could watch him to make sure he did as he was told. When he shut the pantry door, I nodded to Nessie. She was a wonderful mom, able to be stern with them when needed. Like most kids, he pitifully cuddled up against his mother's legs.

She smoothed her fingers through his hair.

"Momma?"

"Yes, sweetie?"

"Play wif Jues?"

"Yeah, baby, go play with your sister."

He scampered off upstairs where Jules was playing in her room. Nessie let out a breath and shook her head, going back to focus on feeding Maddox.

I chuckled. "You're cute when you're stern."

She grinned sheepishly. "Hush. So what did Embry want?"

"Oh, right." I walked around with Ash. "Apparently, Tricia shifted today."

Her eyes widened. "The infection worked?"

I nodded. "Yeah. But something rare happened and Garrett had to use some serious mojo to force her shift. When he did, the power also worked on Haleigh. She and Tricia are out on their first hunt."

"Oh, wow. What was the something rare? Did he tell you?"

Going over to the couch, I sat down beside her, pulled a burping towel from the bag we kept under the coffee table, and tossed it over my shoulder. "Embry said Garrett told him it was like her human body was ready for the shift but the wolf inside wasn't. I think he compared it to a baby giraffe. Wobbly legs and all that. So Garrett used his…whatever it is…on Tricia to bring the wolf out because she'd passed out. It wasn't an immediate threat but if they hadn't done anything, apparently things could have gotten worse."

"Is Haleigh okay?" While she asked, she set the empty bottle on the table and then rocked Maddox. He was happy as a clam there in her arms.

Ash was close to finishing his own bottle. "He didn't say she wasn't okay. Just that the shift surprised her, or rather, all of them. Garrett said he'd focused his energy on Tricia. It shouldn't have affected Haleigh. Caden, however, says that Haleigh and her wolf felt the power of an alpha and had to bend to his will even though it was focused on someone else."

She whistled. "So the kid is powerful."

"Oh yeah. According to Embry, he even forced big, bad Elias into the submissive position."

"Elias?" she said in disbelief.

I nodded. "That's what I thought." As I set Ash's empty bottle next to the other, Ness lifted Maddox to be burped against her covered shoulder.

"Well," she said, patting his back. "At least he's an ally."

"How do you figure that?" It wasn't that I disagreed. I just wanted to know her thought process.

She shrugged. "He's clearly attached to Haleigh. Hurting Walker would hurt Haleigh. And hurting us would hurt Christa, therefore Walker and right on to Haleigh. If they end up mated, he's an ally. And as far as we know, Calahan is still friendly toward us. Garrett has influence over his father and future pack should that change."

"Good point." I lifted Ash up to my shoulder, rocking side to side and patting his back.

The patter of little feet moved down the stairs and around the couch. Jules threw herself beside me, elbows in the cushions, fingers playing with the remote. Will did the same between me and Nessie.

"Daddy," she said, "wath toons?"

I reached for the remote. "Yeah, let Daddy turn it on for you. Go sit down."

"Otay, Daddy!"

Giggling, they ran around the coffee table and sat down on the carpet where toys were already littered around the front of the fireplace. I turned on the TV to one of the cartoon stations. They weren't really picky about what they watched as long as it was a cartoon.

"Do you have to go in today?" she asked as we watched them and rocked the twins.

I shook my head. "I hired Sam so that I could stay updated about Emily and make sure he would have the days off he's going to need with Emily pregnant again. He offered to work for me today. Xavier's teaching him the systems."

"That was sweet of him. And of you."

I shrugged. "Working for the community center wasn't really going anywhere. Besides, Emily has her job online now, remember? He can take as much time as he needs after Tate's born. They'll still be able to have some income while he's watching the baby."

"True. I'm so happy for them."

"Me, too. Sam's excited about a boy."

"I bet. And Leila's going to have a little brother. I know from experience how lonely it can be being an only child."

I looked over at her sharply. "What are you talking about? You were never alone."

She took a minute to collect her thoughts, looking down at Maddox. Will and Jules affectionately called him Dox. It was the only way they could pronounce his name.

"I know I had people around me at all times, but I never had that sibling feeling. That feeling where I had somebody to protect, somebody only I could pick on. Shelby was and is great now that I'm older, but I had nobody my age that I could pal around with, not like Will has Jules. Or you with your sisters. Though I was surrounded by people, it was still lonely sometimes. There wasn't another kid in the house whose room I could run to at night and we have our imaginary worlds. You played with me, but it was more like how we are with the kids. We don't see what they see, but Jules? She sees, in her head, what her brother sees. I never had that."

Well, when she put it like that…"I never thought about it like that."

Smiling, she reached out a hand to stroke my cheek. "I know. And I never complained about it. I was growing so fast that I didn't understand the world except for how I read about it or watched it on TV. Not until my year at Forks High. That's when I really started to understand that what I'd been feeling was loneliness. All my 'friends' were family and other adults. You were the only one I really considered my best friend. And even then, I knew that you were older, that you were an adult and in another world even though you were beside me."

I caught her wrist and kissed her palm. "You're right. You understand. And now that you've explained it, I'm glad that Leila will have her brother, too. More so than I was before."

She smiled. "And I'm happy our kids have each other."

Nodding, I looked out over Will and Jules who were building a small town while they watched their cartoons. I had no doubt that they would take care of their little brothers the way they took care of each other. It was there in the way the both of them would occasionally stop what they were doing and look around the room until they found the twins. After they stared for a couple minutes, they'd smile and go back to whatever they were playing with.

I was already proud of Will and Jules for how wonderful they were, how fast they learned even while staying children. Maddox and Ash would be the same because they had two older siblings to look up to as examples. All four of my children would make me proud. I knew it. I also knew that tough times would sneak up. All the uncomfortable conversations, the attitudes, and the eye rolls. Not to mention the hormonal, emotional stuff. But that was a part of life, and of being a parent. Ness and I had gone through that stuff so we should be experienced enough to help them when they needed us. And it wasn't like we were going to be humans trying to understand our supernatural children. We knew the world they were going to grow up in. It was a comforting thought.

After the twins did their thing with the burping towels, Ness and I spent the day on the floor with all four of the kids. We built towns and destroyed them with toy dinosaurs. Will and Jules helped us with the sitting up exercises with the babies. Once we showed them how to do it by gently gripping the twins' arms and pulling their torsos up off the floor and gently laying them back down, we watched them do it on their own. Already, I could see the sibling bond being made. The very fact that Will and Jules wanted to help their baby brothers brought a sense of ease to my very being.

My family would be strong. I'd make sure of it.

**Eleven Years Later…**

**RPOV**

For some reason, I just couldn't sleep. Pulling myself out of the half sleep I was in, I stared at the ceiling. Something upstairs moved with a thump and it wasn't the creaking of the floor or house. When it moved again, I reached over and patted Jacob's chest. He was flat on his back, one hand resting over his heart.

"Jacob," I hissed.

He didn't respond.

Growling, I got out of bed and went for the stairs. Now that the kids were older, we stayed dressed for bed just in case they needed to come down into our room for some reason. The house was dark except for the nightlights we had plugged in throughout the rooms, giving off just enough light to see where you were going. They only came on when the lights went off. Upstairs, I blinked in the light of the kitchen. When my eyes focused, I saw Will sitting at the table with a mug in front of him.

"Will? Baby, what are you doing up? It's after midnight."

He startled and turned to look at me. The fear in his eyes scared me. "I had a bad dream. Sorry if I woke you up." The older he got, the more like Jacob he became. Though he was still a momma's boy, he was definitely his father's son. Will loved to hang out with Jacob whenever he could. Jacob had taken him down to the shop on the days the kids didn't have classes with my family. Like his father, Will had a love of cars and bikes. Jacob was all too enthusiastic about nurturing that love.

I made my own mug of hot chocolate and sat down. He was sitting in Jacob's normal chair. He liked to sit there when Jacob wasn't in it, like he was filling in as man of the house while his father was out of the house.

"It's okay, baby. I couldn't sleep anyway. I guess I knew that you were up. You wanna talk about it?"

He shrugged, shoulders huddled around the mug.

"Ness?"

"Up here," I called softly.

Jacob appeared at the head of the stairs a moment later, blinking in the light. He was in a pair of plaid pajama pants and spiky hair. "What are you two doing up? Will, what's wrong, buddy?"

When he didn't answer, I did. "Bad dream. He came down for some comfort chocolate."

Jacob came over to the table and Will made to move out of his father's seat. "No, buddy. You can stay there." He sat down across from me on Will's other side. "What's up?"

"Like Mom said, bad dream."

Jacob nodded as if he understood. "Those aren't fun. Your mom used to have bad dreams, too. Always scared me when she couldn't sleep." He smiled at me across the table. "You're a lot like your mom. You wanna talk about it? It made your mom feel better to talk."

I nodded in agreement and encouragement. "He's right."

That seemed to relax our son a little. "It was about Jules. She was older in the dream. I guess that means I was, too, but I was seeing it through my own eyes. Anyway, something bad happens to her." He looked up, meeting Jacob's eyes. "And it's my fault." A shaky breath rattled out of his chest, but he didn't cry. "I don't wanna hurt Jules. She's my little sister. I love her."

Jacob scooted closer to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Listen to me, son. In any universe, this one or any alternate, you will never hurt your sister. Ever."

"Not on purpose," he said, implying he might by accident.

"Will, I want you to do something for me, for your old man."

I grinned behind my mug.

"What is it?" Will asked.

"I want you to remember the dream. Don't try to forget it. If you do, it'll just get worse. Remember it, but don't let it control your life. You're thirteen years old and have too much other stuff to worry about right now. If or when something happens, we will deal with it. As a family, okay? You won't go through anything alone. I promise. Your mother and I will always be there. You just have to talk to us. Don't ever feel like you can't. Can you do that for me? Remember the dream and talk to us when you need to?"

It took a moment, but after a couple heartbeats, he nodded. "Okay."

Jacob reached over and lifted his chin. "I'm serious, Will. I know that you're thirteen, and I know how thirteen year old boys think. If there's something you don't want to go to your mother with, you can come to me. Guy to guy. There is nothing that you can't come to me for."

Now Will looked more relaxed. "Okay, Dad. I promise."

"Hey," Jacob said sternly, "in this house we keep our promises."

That made Will laugh. He held out his pinky like Haleigh always did when she was a kid. "I promise, Dad."

Jacob took his pinky with his own. "That's my boy. Now, how about we get you back upstairs?"

Nodding, Will got up and dumped his cup. Jacob stood up and wrapped his arm around his shoulders and ruffled his hair. "I'll take him up."

I nodded. "Get some sleep, Will. Summer break is calling your name."

"Good night, Mom. Love you."

"Love you, too, baby."

Once they were upstairs, I dumped the rest of my cocoa and went back downstairs to lay down. Jacob came back a few minutes later to lay down next to me.

When he pulled me into his arms, I said, "Nightmares, Jacob."

"Don't, Ness," he said, hands rubbing my back and hair.

"But Jacob, my nightmares-,"

"Are not his. He's a kid, Ness. Kids have nightmares. I did at that age. Hell, I still do."

"What if it's more? What if they have mental abilities like I do?"

Jacob squeezed me tighter. "Ness, you haven't used that ability in a long time. I know you want normal, and I know you're scared. If they have abilities, we'll deal with it. The nightmares, we can't help."

"Maybe we can talk to Mara."

Like he had with Will, he lifted my chin to look me in the eyes. "Nightmares are normal, baby. We can't hide them from him. He needs to go through these things. They're learning experiences." When I looked away, he stroked my cheek. "You're his mother, and you want to protect him from everything, even himself. I want to protect him, too. But he's going to be alpha one day, and he's going to phase soon. We'll be his safety net, but he needs this. They all do."

I dug my nails into his skin. "I hate this. So much. But you're right."

"Nessie, listen to me. Bad things have happened to us, but we've gotten through everything. We're not human. We have higher responsibilities, so we have to be stronger because those responsibilities come with tougher evils that we have to face. But we're strong, Nessie. We're fighters. Our children will be, too. They have to be. It's what they were born into."

Nodding, I collapsed against his chest. "Deep down, I know that."

"Just think that this is how your parents felt with you; how Billy felt with me. So young to be put through so much. We have to trust them, Nessie. They aren't normal kids, and they're smart. Not to mention that they have each other. They're in this together."

"I just hope that's enough."

"It'll have to be."

There was no arguing that our children had a rough road ahead of them. The packs, both ours and Walker's, treated all four of them as royalty. Henry, now nineteen and phased, watched over his cousins something fierce without any orders that I was aware of. When he wasn't watching them, he was hovering over a fourteen year old Leila, who spent a lot of time around Claire. Quil and Claire had finally mated and had just had their first baby, Mika. Embry and Tricia had added to the pool of girls with three of their own: Nechole, Katie, and Parker. Embry was in estrogen hell, but he loved every minute of it. His brother-in-law, Walker had two children with Christa. Ryell and Wren joined their older, adopted sister, Haleigh, even though she'd moved to her mate's pack a year or so ago. Garrett's father, Calahan, had succumbed to his wounds from a fight. When Garrett had shown up to claim his place as pack leader, no other males opposed him. Which was good. The kid was a beast.

Jacob's sisters, Rachel and Rebecca had added to the baby boom. Rachel and Paul had another girl and one boy, Linley and Dane. Rebecca gave Henry a brother, Colton. Leah and Caden only had one child, Gage. But they were more than content with that. He was a gem and loved to hang out with the boys. Piper, Jules, and Ava watched over the girls.

Overall, the pack was well populated for the next generation. All the parents had made sure that the children were close. They didn't have to hang out or like each other, but they had to respect each other, just like siblings. They can love each other but that didn't mean they had to like each other. Kind of like my children. The boys may pick on Jules, but if an outsider tried, they'd team up and go after the outsider. Nobody messed with their sister except them. Tiffs among the pack was fine, but if an outside force threatened any member of it, that outside force had just made a pack-full of enemies. You threaten one, you threaten all.

"You know what?" I said, relaxing.

"What?"

"You're right. We have people that would protect them, other people that they can go to if they feel they can't come to us. All I wanted was for you and everyone else to trust me, to treat me as if I had a mind of my own. With them nearing phasing age, the only way they'll learn to trust us is if we show them that _we _trust _them_. I just need you to promise me something."

"What is that?"

"That you'll help me through my panic attacks because I'm pretty sure I'll have them."

He chuckled. "I promise, Ness. That is my job after all."

Feeling a bit better after talking my fears out with my partner, I cuddled down with him and finally slept. Before I fell into sleep, though, I promised myself that I could and would be strong for my children. Jacob was right. Whatever came at us, we would handle. As a family.

**The End**

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**So, so, so? What do we think? How cute was Will's temper tantrum? Omg! And the father/son bonding at the end? I am as excited as you guys for Will's story! Please review or PM and let me know! I love all of you! xoxoxoxoxo**


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